The Highway Killer
by SarahShalomDavid
Summary: A killer is leaving bodies on the highway and has been taunting law enforcement for weeks as they fail to find substantial forensic evidence or the identity of the killer. The victim profile is blonde women and around the age of 35. The 8th body has been autopsied and Kate hasn't turned up for work. Has she become the next victim of the Highway Killer? w/mixed character appearances
1. Megan's Panic

**September 3rd 2015**

The Medical Examiner's office was bustling with life, lab techs were working on their analysis for the blood works and samples they had been given from the autopsies; the ones left from the previous day and from the autopsies that had been done that morning. It was already eleven am and the majority of the lab had been there since nine am although some of the medical examiners had gotten in earlier in order to start on the autopsies of the bodies that had come in overnight.

Megan Hunt had completed her first autopsy of the day and was stood wearing a red designer dress with matching heels but her clothing was covered by the medical gown so that there wouldn't be any stray body matter that accidently ruined the material of her dress.

The body was female, 35-40 years old and had blonde hair but was yet to be identified. She had been found wearing nothing but her fuschia undergarments and her body was littered with abrasions, bruises and cuts along with burn marks. It was clear that the body had been dumped and that the side of the highway was definitely not the original murder site, it was also clear from the autopsy that she had been tortured for at least four to five days preceding her death.

'Jane Doe' was not the first body that had been found in this manner, so far there had been 7 bodies and 8 if you included the new 'Jane Doe'. The female was Jane Doe #3.

The first victim was a 29 year old female, blonde hair, blue eyes and wore a set of black lingerie although the left bra straps was torn. She had similar injuries to that of Jane Doe #3 but the injuries were much less precise and much messier. The young woman was identified as a nurse from the local hospital whose name was 'Mary Benson'. Her boyfriend had raised the alarm when she didn't return from her night shift and never met him for lunch as it was very out of character because normally she would text him regularly and inform him when she left work. He had gotten that message but had never had one to say she was home safely. It was another 10 days before her body was discovered on the side of the highway 11 miles from the hospital. The autopsy revealed that she had died around 12 hours before she was found.

The second victim was identified as a 32 year old female, another with blonde hair and blue eyes. Again she wore nothing but her underwear. Her name was confirmed to be 'Moira Doyle' who worked as a sales assistant at a local store before she was found 16 miles away from where she worked. Moira had similar signs of torture and abuse but had vanished 10 days before her body was found however time of death was estimated to have been around 16 hours preceding the discovery.

The third female victim also fitted the victim pattern of blonde hair and blue eyes. She had been reported as missing after she failed to collect her child from school. She had never been late to collect the child before and the school had attempted to call the woman for almost two hours before alerting authorities. The woman was identified to be 34 year old 'Calleigh Procter' and was employed by the local hospital as a receptionist. She was found in the same manner as the previous two, on the highway and showing signs of torture before death.

'Jane Doe #1' was found next, wearing nothing but marked white underwear that had stains of blood and dirt on them. She was found around 1 mile from the first body and fitted the same description as the other three females. Despite having her photo distributed, they were yet to identify the young woman who they estimated to between the ages of 25-30. She had no distinguishing marks such as tattoos or birthmarks. The young woman had been dead for approximately two to four hours before she was found.

'Angela Demar' was the fifth body to be found, another victim matching the victim profile of the other victims. She was reported missing only one week previously and had signs of violent abuse and torture on her body. The woman was 37 years old and worked as a police officer at the local precinct. She had been reported missing when she vanished whilst on patrol. Her partner had suggested they split up and walk the path of the park as neither saw any danger in doing so and both had radios that they could use. It was routine and it was part of basic duty. He tried to reach her on the radio a few times but failed and when he went to look for her, all he found was her radio, badge and other standard issue equipment that had previously been on her belt.

Four days after the discovery of Ms Demar, another victim fitting the profile was discovered on the highway approximately 7 miles from 'Jane Doe #1'. The woman was identified as a receptionist who worked with a local law firm in the town centre. Her name was 'Suzana Isles' and she was 33 years old.

The time between when the victim went missing and when the victim's body was discovered was getting shorter with each victim. The original being that of 11 days whereas the sixth only four days. When it came to the seventh body the time was the same and remained at four days. The seventh victim took the temporary name of 'Jane Doe #2' when her identification failed despite attempts by law enforcement.

Then the eighth came in the form of 'Jane Doe #3' whose autopsy had just been completed and whose body had been found three days after 'Jane Doe #2'. The injuries were very similar to the other victims and the cause of death was the same for all of them. Electrocution. This explained the burn marks that the bodies had suffered along with the signs of torture they had suffered preceding their deaths.

Her body had been found in the early hours of the morning of September 3rd 2015 and the killer had been taunting law enforcement for weeks with the lack of forensic evidence or clues as to their identity. They were working around the clock to try and discover the identities of the victims.

The redheaded Medical Examiner removed her blue standard issue gloves and threw them into the trash can before removing her covers as well. She had to write up her full report but had written her notes and recorded her findings like she always did. The sound of her heels clicked on the flooring and sounded around the hallways as she walked through them. Her scrunched up slightly in confusion as she approached the glass walls of her boss' office and noticed that the woman was absent.

She glanced around her and looked Curtis Brumfield who worked as the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, "Curtis? Have you seen Kate this morning?", she asked in curiosity with concern etched upon her face.

The man shrugged, "She hasn't come in today", he said simply, "But I don't know her diary, she probably has a meeting or press conference or something…. you know what she's like". He was referring to the political side of things that she was heavily involved in.

"When did you last see her?", she asked him hastily.

He stood and thought for a moment, "Yesterday evening before I left for the night", he said to the increasingly worried Medical Examiner, "You know she's probably in a meeting right?"

Megan nodded and stepped into the glass office, picking up her cell phone to call the blonde woman and became increasingly worried when all she managed to get was the woman's answer phone.

Kate always answered her phone to Megan, the redheaded woman could not recall a single time where the phone went unanswered because even in a meeting, the blonde would excuse herself to answer it. By this point, Doctor Megan Hunt was desperate to hear the woman's voice, "Please pick up", she begged quietly to nobody but herself.

Her eyes shot around the office, worry and concern etched on her features before she hit another number on her phone and held it again to her ear, "Peter?", she said softly into the phone, "We may have a problem".


	2. Meeting Agent C Vance

**September 2nd 2015**

The sky was dark and the room was lit only by the lamp that resided on her office desk. The blonde woman looked up and couldn't help but smile softly at the sight of the redheaded Medical Examiner; Megan Hunt who was finishing up for the night. The rest of the team were already gone and it was just the two of them.

 _Beautiful,_ she thought to herself as she watched the woman, _if only I could tell you how much I love you_. She sighed heavily and rest her head into her hands as she let her eyes glance over the papers.

The files were starting to build up on the latest case where the press had labelled it the 'HIghway Killer'. Seven women had been killed so far that they knew of but that didn't take into account possible victims from the missing persons register.

The F.B.I had started investigating the serial murders despite Doctor Megan Hunt taking an instant dislike to the team that were working temporarily in a spare office. Her dislike was mostly with the the lead agent whose name was Special Agent Casey Vance who had short dark hair, green eyes and wore expensive designer suits with matching heavily polished shoes.

Megan hated the lead agent from the moment she lay her eyes on the man.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Inside the glass office of the Chief Medical Examiner; Kate Murphy, there was a man standing in front of the woman's desk whilst the blonde herself was stood behind the desk.**

 **The man was stood quite close to Kate as he spoke to her, Megan couldn't help but glare at the man despite the fact that he had not noticed her and was unaware of her arrival.**

 **Kate's eyes came away from the FBI agent as soon as she heard the sound of the woman's heels and couldn't help herself when she turned to catch a look at the redheaded woman before she turned back to her conversation with the dark haired man. Casey noticed that Kate's eyes lit up upon the simple sound of the other woman's heels on the floor and the bright smile that spread on her face when she saw the other Medical Examiner.**

 **Megan stepped into the open office wearing a royal blue dress with back heels and her hair perfectly set along with precisely applied make-up. She smiled brightly at the blonde, ignoring the agent for a moment, "Good Morning Kate", she said softly to her. Kate turned her attention to her rather than where it had been previously directed.**

" **Good Morning Megan", she said softly towards her with a smile before glancing towards the designer dressed male agent beside her. She motioned her hand towards the stunning redheaded woman, "This is Doctor Megan Hunt", she said as she introduced her, "She is the best Medical Examiner we have and has completed all of the autopsies in the case". Kate looked rather proud when she said it and smiled brightly towards Megan.**

 **Kate kept her focus on the redhead but signalled to the man beside her, "Megan, this is Special Agent Casey Vance and he will be working with us on the 'Highway Killer' case along with his team", she said softly, "They will be using the spare office down the hall for the duration of the investigation". She braced herself as she knew that Megan was not going to be pleased with this and that the fiery woman hated outsiders getting involved in their cases.**

 **Megan raised an eyebrow at the blonde woman, "Really?", she said softly before glancing at the dark haired agent who was currently busy looking down the silk blouse of the Chief Medical Examiner.**

 **Agent Casey Vance stepped forward and offered his hand out to her, "It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor Murphy", he said with a grin, "I've heard great things about you".**

 **Doctor Hunt nodded but failed to offer her hand in return although did glance towards it briefly, "I'm sure you have", she said confidently causing him to step back into his previous position where he stood opposite Kate.**

 **Whilst the male agent looked a little awkward at being brushed off by the overly confident woman, Kate simply smirked having predicted the reaction from the beautiful woman and so she said nothing about it.**

" **Well I have a Jane Doe to autopsy", she said simply, "Maybe he'll keep his eyes off of your breasts long enough to find the killer". Her comment made the agent blush and Kate tried to hold back a laugh at her comment.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan put her hand on the doorframe and leant into the office slightly, "Night Kate", she said softly as she wished she was leaving with the woman. The woman she was secretly in love with.

Kate smiled brightly, "Goodnight Megan", she said to the other woman as she started to rearrange the files that were scattered on her desk.

The redhead smiled and nodded, _Want me to wait for you?_ she thought to herself but failed to ask out loud, _We could walk out together…_

She loitered in the doorway a little longer before she left and Kate sat watching the woman leave. Her eyes glided over the material of the redhead's blouse and gradually down to the curves of her hips beneath the black skirt. Kate bit her lip gently as she allowed herself the pleasure of appreciating the body of the woman she had fallen head over heels for.

Twenty minutes later, Kate had organised the files and put everything away that she had to. She stood up and straightened her silk blouse and tugged her jacket from the back of her chair in order to put it on. Once it was on she flipped her hair out from underneath the collar and made her way out of the office.

The blonde Medical Examiner made her way out of the offices and towards the parking garage where she had left her car hours beforehand.

As she walked towards the car she was deep in thought and almost in her own little world. She smiled thinking of the woman she was in love with. The sound of her voice. The feel of her hand against hers as they brushed accidently when a folder or other item was passed between the two of them. The sound of her heels as they clicked against the floor. The sound of her life. The sight of her smile. The sparkle in the woman's eye. The confidence. Kate was head over heels in love with Megan. Her heartbeat increased at the mere thought of the woman.

She was thinking about how she wished that she could tell Megan that she loved her. She wished she could hold her close at night. She wished she could kiss her goodnight. She wished she could spend her whole life showing the woman how much she loved her and wanted her.

Her hand reached into her pocket and she pulled her keys out to click the button that opened the locks before she opened the door completely with the handle and tossed her bag into the car.

Her thoughts were still on Megan as she was about to get into the car but she never did. A hand reached out holding a piece of dirty material and pressed it against her nose and mouth. She struggled against the hold that the man had on her, his hands were rough against her soft skin and his strength held her still until her body gave out on her. The drug laced scrap of material that looked as though it could have previously been a handkerchief.

His hands were under her arms as he dragged her across the parking garage to his own car and slung her into the trunk. Her limbs thrown into the car and forced inside, her body contorted in an unnatural positioning due to the lack of care taken when she was put into the car.

Kate's bag was on the centre console, her keys in the driver's seat, the door was open slightly and a heel was left by the car. The car garage had individual sections for various departments and walls were between spaces as though they were individual open faced garages.

Meanwhile, Megan was sat at home with a glass of red wine 'breathing' on the coffee table and a bubble bath running with a lavender scented bubble solution. Her favourite music was playing softly throughout the apartment whilst candles flickered in the bathroom.

She slipped out of her clothing and dropped them into the laundry basket inside her bathroom, momentarily she ran a hand down her stomach and across her thigh before withdrawing it. The redheaded woman sighed, "Kate", she whispered to herself as the name of the woman she loved slipped from her lips. It had been half an hour since she last saw the beautiful blonde woman and she found herself already missing her. She found herself wishing that the blonde woman was with her right now. Megan bit her lip and almost moaned at the simple thought of Kate being there with her. In the bathroom. In the bath.

Megan reached out and twisted the metal tap in order to shut off the flow of warm water. She returned to the sitting room in order to pick up the glass of wine that she had forgotten and not caring that she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

The Medical Examiner returned to her bathroom, placed the large glass on the side of the bathtub and gracefully slipped into the depths of the warm, bubbly water.

Her mind was on one thing, or to be specific… one person. Kate. _Her_ Kate.


	3. Happy Birthday Megan

**September 3rd 2015**

Megan paced back and forth in Kate's office, her heels hitting the carpet with mild force and she was clearly agitated. She ran her right hand through her red locks and bit her lip a little more harshly than she had intended upon doing.

In her left hand, she held her cell phone to her ear, "Pick up Kate", she said to herself, "Pick up". She curled her right hand and rest it on her forehead, "Damnit woman", she muttered, "Answer your phone".

The frantic Medical Examiner was leaving repeated messages of 'Where are you?', 'Pick up your phone', 'Answer your phone' and each and every one of them included a word that she rarely used. That word was 'please'.

Outside of the glass office, Curtis watched on and shook his head, "She's gonna wear a hole in that carpet ya know", he said to his colleague; Ethan Gross who simply nodded.

Ethan frowned at the scene of the worried woman, "You don't think the Highway Killer got her do you?", he asked as he turned to Curtis.

"Not you too", Curtis said with a shake of his head, "Kate is probably in a meeting, you know her… she will walk straight through that door and you'll realise there was nothing to worry about to begin with". Despite the confidence he exhibited when he spoke, inside he was not as confident in his words as he wanted others to be. He was worried about his blonde boss too.

Ethan frowned, "You said probably so you don't know for sure", he stated returning his attention to the pacing redhead. For a moment they both could do nothing but watch their colleague as they knew that any attempt to approach would not end well for them.

Moments later, Peter walked into Kate's office wearing his usual suit, "Megan?", he said gently.

The woman continued to pace, completely distracted by the thoughts of her blonde boss, "God Dammit Kate", she said with the phone against her ear, "Pick up… please? Please pick up". Her voice sounded as though she was begging and pleading with her.

The Medicolegal Investigator cleared his throat, and repeated, "Megan", he said softly as he put out a hand to pause her pacing movements.

Megan looked at him, "She's gone Peter", she said worriedly, "He's got her.. I… I just know he has". Her face was painted with worry and concern along with fear. She didn't look as confident in that moment as she usually did.

"I'll have security check the building for her", he said to try and calm her, "Her car was in the garage, I'm pretty sure of it".

The Medical Examiner looked at him, "You're _pretty sure_ of it?", she said annoyed and didn't wait for him to say anything else. She was already on her way out of the office and towards the parking garage.

Peter rushed out after her and looked over at Curtis and Ethan, "Guys? Can you pull all the files on the Highway Killer and put a rush on any tests that haven't been done", he said quickly to them on his way past them.

A few minutes later and Megan was stepping into the parking garage with her phone in her hand, the same message was being heard, " _This is Doctor Kate Murphy, I can't get to the phone right now but please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you"_. She was becoming increasingly agitated and frustrated by the inability to contact the blonde woman.

She stepped towards the car, and her hand went to her mouth in a motion of shock as she gasped. Steps came from behind her as Peter came closer, "What is it….", he didn't finish his sentence as he saw the shoe on the floor, "I'll call it in". Peter pulled his phone to his ear, and stepped away.

Megan looked around the scene and began to mentally note everything. She noticed the stray blue designer shoe that lay approximately one metre from the car and as she looked around she realised that the door was not fully closed. The door was open by a few inches but she didn't open it anymore than it already was.

Despite being extremely worried, she knew that the best chance she had of getting back the woman she was in love with was to preserve the forensics as much as possible. She bent down slightly as she looked through the window and saw the bag on the passenger's seat along with the keys on the driver's side seat.

Walking towards the back of the car, she opened up the trunk but when she realised that there was nothing out of the ordinary there and that no trace of the blonde woman was there, she soon shut it again before stepping away.

She pulled a set of gloves from her bag, "You're not going to process the scene are you Megan?", Peter asked from his position stood behind where she was kneeling. "You know you're too close to the case", he said gently.

Megan glared at him, "Of course I'm processing the scene", she said simply, "I'm not too close to the case". She began to slowly process the scene, snapping photos quickly of the various aspects of the scene such as the right shoe that lay on it's left side with its toe pointing towards the trunk of the car.

"Yes you are Megan", he said insistently, "You shouldn't be investigating this". Peter could do nothing but watch as she bagged up the shoe into an evidence bag and marked it before repeating the action with the set of car keys, "You're too close to this Megan", he repeated.

The Medical Examiner looked up at him from where she was leaning into the car, "I have to do this", she said simply, "You… wouldn't understand". She returned her attention to the car and moved to the passenger's side in order to open the door. The woman knelt down and with a gloved hand began to dig around in the bag, she didn't find anything extra in the bag. She did however come across the Chief Medical Examiner's cell phone, holding it in her hand she sighed heavily and bit her lip gently. Her face was etched with worry and concern but now even more so. She could see the various missed messages and calls from herself to the blonde woman. Megan knew that without the phone, they would find it much harder to track the blonde woman's location and bring her home.

Peter Dunlop watched the elegant woman closely, "You love her", he stated simply. She closed her eyes briefly and nodded silently. "I'll call CSU down here to go over the car", he said softly, "Let's get back upstairs Megan".

Megan was still kneeling down beside the car with the phone in her hand, she wasn't looking at the _27 missed calls_ notification, or the _14 new voicemails_ notification and nor was she looking at the _8 new text messages_ notification. Instead the redhead's attention was on the wallpaper of the phone. She hadn't seen it before. Then again she hadn't held the blonde woman's phone in her hand before either. The phone was usually metaphorically sewn to the Chief Medical Examiner's hand, in her pocket or on occasion it was shoved into the middle section of her brassiere.

The photo was of Megan and Kate together, their cheeks were pressed together and their faces were painted with bright smiles. That had been the night of Megan's last birthday; March 13th 2015. She had been working for the day and Kate had insisted on them both going out for drinks to the local bar to celebrate.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Megan and Kate were sat at the bar with a set of shot glasses in front of them both, the music was blaring in the background and people were pressing up each other in a manner they believed was 'dancing'.**

 **They had started off with one glass of wine each, then the second round onwards were cocktails with shots.**

 **The blonde woman reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small box with a bow on it, "Happy Birthday Megan", she said softly** _ **I love you**_ **.**

" **Oh Kate.. you… you didn't have to", she said softly as the box was pressed into her hands. She was looking at the box,** _ **it's beautiful**_ **she thought to herself as she carefully opened it. "Wow…. Kate it's amazing", she said softly, "Thank you".**

 **Inside was a silver bracelet with red and white round beads on it along with various medical themed charms such as; a medical bag, a first aid kit, syringe, scalpel, caduceus, a pill bottle, a stethoscope and 8 other small items. The biggest charm was one shaped like the letter 'M' in cursive script.**

 **Kate smiled watching her open it,** _ **Not as amazing as you**_ **, she thought to herself as she smiled, "Happy Birthday", she repeated softly to her as she leant into her. They were both very close to each other and Kate could smell the other woman's perfume and feel her breath on her skin.**

" **Come, come, come", Kate said with a smile as she tugged her closer and put her phone in front of them with the camera facing them so that they could see themselves on the screen.**

 **Megan laughed softly, "Kate? You're crazy",** _ **but I love you**_ **she said with amusement whilst failing to voice the last part, she was looking at the blonde beside her in the phone screen. Their cheeks pressed together and smiles on their faces. Kate's arm was wrapped around the shoulders of Doctor Hunt, whilst Megan's arm had gone around the slender waist of her blonde boss.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***


	4. More Victims

**September 3rd 2015**

Hours later and the entire building was buzzing with activity, even more so than it had been that morning. Lab techs were rushing tests and retesting them. Medical Examiners were repeating autopsies to double check for more evidence and clues as to where their boss might be.

The Crime Scene Unit had processed the scene in the parking garage and the evidence was found to only have traces of Kate on them and none of the killer. All fingerprints were accounted for as they were mostly Kate's although a few in the passenger's side were that of Megan Hunt and Lacey Fleming.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Megan smiled softly at Kate from where she sat in the passenger's seat of the blonde's car, "Thank you for the ride", she said politely.**

 **Kate nodded, glancing towards the Medical Examiner before returning her full attention to the car, "No Problem Megan", she said with a smile. "I couldn't leave you stranded", she said with a smirk.**

 **The redhead's car had broken down not far from the Medical Examiner's office, "Yes", she said with amusement in her voice, "You could have done". Her eyes were focused on the blonde indicating the level of attention she was paying to what the woman was saying to her, "But… thank you".**

 **Doctor Murphy smiled brightly, "Okay, I'll reword that… ", she stated with a glance towards the beautiful woman beside her, "I didn't** _ **want**_ **to leave you stranded".**

 **She pulled the car up outside Megan's apartment building and the redheaded Medical Examiner opened the car door, placing one high heel on the concrete surface outside of it and turned her body to look at Kate, "Would you like to come in for a drink?", she offered, "I have wine".**

 **Kate nodded, "I'd love to", she replied with a bright smile before she turned off the engine. Megan couldn't help but grin to herself as she got out of the vehicle as Kate got out of the driver's side whilst paying attention to the traffic that was travelling by.**

 **Megan turned to check that Kate had safely exited the car and smiled towards her as the blonde approached. Doctor Hunt walked towards the door with Kate trailing slightly behind her with a perfect view of the woman's skirt tightly encased behind. The redhead smirked to herself whilst purposely swinging her hips slightly more than normal which was a regular occurrence in her boss' presence.**

 **The redheaded Medical Examiner stepped into her apartment with her boss behind her and made her way into the kitchen in order to grab two bottles of wine from the top shelf and two glasses from the cupboard nearby, "Red or White?", she asked looking at the blonde who had just closed the door and now stood only a few feet from her.**

 **She thought for a moment before replying, "Red", she said with a smile knowing that it would have to 'breathe' before they drank it and that meant she would have to stay longer with the one she secretly loved.**

 **They had sat for nearly four hours before they realised the time; 01:25. Kate stood and with a smile said softly to the red headed woman she had been previously sat beside on the sofa with netflix playing in the background despite the fact that neither women took any notice of it, "I should make my way home. It's getting late and we have work in the morning".**

 **Megan reached her hand out and tugged the woman to sit back down on the sofa, "No Kate", she said simply, "You're staying". It wasn't a question nor a demand where Kate could protest but simply a statement that gave no room for debate, "We've both had too much to drink and there is no way I am letting you drive home in this state", she explained with nothing but care and concern.**

 **The blonde woman couldn't help but smile and she didn't even attempt to argue with her colleague as she knew that it would be pointless and she would end up doing what the other woman said in the end.**

 **Doctor Hunt smiled before she stood up, leaving the glasses and wine bottles on the table, she signalled for the blonde to follow her into the bedroom and she went into her closet to pull out something for herself and for Kate to wear. "Here", she said softly, "You can wear this". She held out the nightwear to the blonde woman who took it with a smile and thanked her.**

 **Once they were both in their nightwear they climbed under the covers of Megan's bed to sleep after setting the alarm to wake them for work the next morning.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

There were very little clues as to where the victims were held before their deaths but they had discovered that it was an opportunistic killer who after killing his victim went in search for another within 24 hours of dumping the body on the highway.

Peter entered Kate's office where Megan was pacing in front of the blonde woman's desk having been banned from the case completely. She had at first protested but was under the watchful eye of the FBI team who were working on the case and had been threatened with arrest for 'interfering with an investigation' because they had realised she was much more involved in the case than originally thought. Her reaction to Kate's kidnapping had been a much more emotional one rather than if it were simply her boss.

Megan turned hastily towards Peter Dunlop, "Have you found her?", she demanded as soon as he stepped into the room, her facial expressions were painted with pure worry and concern.

He sighed and looked down, suddenly finding himself feeling guilty that he hadn't found the blonde woman yet, "Not yet Megan", he said gently, "We've gone over the footage from the parking garage..".

Megan cut him off before he could finish the sentence, "I need to see it", she said hastily and stepped towards the door.

"No", he replied quickly and stepped in front of her to prevent her exit, "You really shouldn't watch it Megan". He looked nervous and tried to distract her, "CSU found a handkerchief not far from the scene", he revealed, "It was laced with chloroform and had DNA traces of the other victims in a mix of saliva marks where it was held over their mouths".

He watched as she stood with her arms crossed in a protective motion but with one hand in her hair and she was biting her lip firmly, "There was a monogram on the material, the letters 'I' and 'F' in a blue embroidery", he said with a sigh, "They also found traces of what seems to be three other victims".

The body count was rising and the blonde was still missing whilst the redhead was struggling to keep a check on her emotions but the tears brimming in her eyes were a huge giveaway. "Do we have ID's on any of the other victims?", she asked after hesitating for a moment.

Peter nodded, "Just the one", he said gently as he was being careful not to set her off as she had already blown up at seven different staff members including the lead agent of the FBI.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Casey walked into the offices almost an hour after Megan had alerted everyone to Kate's abduction and she spun around with pure anger in her eyes, "Do you even know how to do your job?!", she yelled at him furiously.**

 **The man stood in shock and found himself unable to do anything other than stare at the fiery woman, "If you were capable of doing your job then you would have found the killer and Kate would still be here!".**

 **FBI agents along with Megan's colleagues simply stood in shock as they watched the scene unfold, "This?", she screamed as she waved an arm around, "This is YOUR fault". Her finger forcefully pushed against the man's chest, "I swear that if anything happens to her then you better run", she threatened before storming off, her heels hitting the floor rather violently.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

"One of the victim's DNA matched a missing woman whose name was 'Dana Ryan'. She was a 32 year old mother of three who vanished from a camping site on March 1st 2015 whilst on vacation with her wife and children. Mrs Ryan had been having trouble sleeping so she was up early in the morning. When her wife woke she noticed her wife was gone and the only sign were what seemed to be male footprints and spilt coffee mug on the ground near the fire which was starting to go out.", he explained as he flipped through the tattered notebook in his hand that was covered with various coloured ink scrawl that he considered to be 'writing'.

"What about the other two?", the Medical Examiner enquired with a curious look on her face, "Any ideas?".

He shook his head in a negative manner, "No", he said with a heavy sigh, "The FBI are running DNA against missing women in the area and they've got a list of missing women that match our victim profile".

Megan nodded, "How many?", she asked referring to the number of women on the missing register that matched the victim profile and could be possible victims of the Highway Killer.

Peter hesitated but revealed with a sigh, "16", he said and instantly regretted the decision when he saw the woman's face drop and she turned away to face the other side of the room.

She ran her hand through her hair and glanced at the blonde's desk, "Has anyone questioned the families of any of the missing yet? or the people who reported them missing? or those who had last contact with them?", she was reeling off questions without giving him a chance to answer.

He waited for her to finish knowing that it would be useless to interrupt her because it would simply annoy her more and she was already extremely agitated, "We're working on it Megan", he said simply.

"Go", she said quickly, "Go work on it… Go… Find her", she tried to make it sound authoritative and to be a demand but it came out more like a desperate plea as her face was painted with pure worry and concern.

He nodded briefly before he exited the room and left the redheaded woman to pace around the office in a highly agitated state.


	5. Just a Dream

**September 3rd 2015**

 _Megan walked into Kate's office with an annoyed look on her face, "You handed the case over the CDC?", she said in frustration._

 _The blonde woman's eyes ran over her colleague's body before settling on her face, "I had to Megan", she said softly, "They have jurisdiction over this"._

 _The fiery redhead approached her and was less than a foot away from her, "We could have solved it without them Kate and you know it", she said with an air of confidence._

 _Kate nodded, "I know", she said simply and glanced at the lipstick painted lips of the Medical Examiner, "I had no choice Megan and you know it"._

 _She groaned, "You always have a choice Kate", she said stepping even closer, her breathing was uneven and much harsher than normal. Her eyes had darkened with arousal and need but before Kate had a chance to think, she was pressed against the back wall with Megan's lips moving against hers._

 _Kate couldn't help but move her lips in response and pull her close to her, she hooked her right leg around Megan's hip to pull her closer. A moan emitted from Kate's lips when Megan ran her tongue along her lower lip to gain entry to her mouth. Megan was clearly aiming to hear the sound again as she ran her hand down her boss' body and came to rest on her firm behind to pull her even closer than she already was._

 _Megan pulled back when air was necessary for the both of them and leant her head against the other woman's forehead whilst breathing each other's air as they were so close, "You have no idea how much I have wanted to do that", the redhead revealed._

 _She smirked and pressed a brief kiss to Doctor Hunt's lips, "Me too Megan", she said softly, "Me too"._

 _One of Megan's hands were on Kate's behind whilst the other was cupping Kate's cheek, "Kate", she said lovingly, "I…."_

Kate woke with a sudden gasp, her eyes widening in shock and her body began to shiver. Ice cold water had been thrown onto her from a metal bucket, the ice cubes hit her with force enough that it would most likely leave bruises on her face and chest. Cold water dripped from her facial features and from her wavy blonde hair with the floor around her soaked.

The concrete floor was dusty, dirty and had traces of blood smeared over the surface. The windows seemed to have bars over them and were high up as well as very small. The room was large and seemed to be some sort of warehouse.

She tugged her arms to try and curl up but could only curl up so far as she realised the movement of her arms and legs were constricted by large metal cuffs that were attached to heavy duty chains and secured to the wall.

The large man said nothing to the blonde Medical Examiner who he was currently holding captive.

"Please", Kate mumbled, her eyes were unable to fully focus and she had trouble remaining upright whilst slumped against the hard, cold wall and instead she curled a little on the floor, "Let me go…". Her words came out as mumbles and were barely audible, "They'll look for me", she said as she looked up at the man.

The man laughed at her, "They'll never find you in time", he said confidently and rather cockily, "You'll be dead by the time they do". He was 6ft 2" with dark hair, brown eyes and slightly overweight. He wore black trousers and a blue shirt that had been dirtied slightly along with creases across it.

Her eyes met his and she glared from her position on the floor where she remained in a crumpled and soaked heap, "She'll find me", she said defiantly, "Megan will find me in time…". She kept her eyes on his and it was clear she had confidence that the woman would find her, "She'll come for me and she won't give up until she does".

Kate shivered from the cold and curled up more into herself to shield her body from the cold air that hit the wetness and made it worse.

The blonde woman had no shoes on, her feet were marked with dirt where she had been dragged along the floor and her legs were marked in the same manner. Her black skirt was scrunched up slightly and she moved her hands to tug it down as far as possible to cover as much of her as she could. Her blue blouse was marked from the dirt on the floor and soaked from the iced water that had been carelessly thrown at her which resulted in the silk now clinging to her skin. Her blonde hair clung to her skin and no longer had the luxurious volume it had once had. The sparkle was not in her bright blue eyes like it had previously been.

She struggled to stay awake and gradually slipped back into state of unconsciousness whilst the poor excuse for a man had stepped outside in order to smoke a cigarette. Old stubs were littering the floor outside along with a few old beer cans. Her shoe remained inside the trunk of his car that was parked beside the warehouse at an angle that suggested he had pulled in carelessly.

" _Megan?", she called out, "Are you home?". Kate had a smile on her face as she slipped her shoes off and placed her coat on the hook._

 _A voice called from the bedroom, "In here…", it called making the blonde woman smirk in amusement._

 _It was quite late at night, Kate had remained working in order to finish paperwork and Megan had taken an early day as she had to collect Lacey from school after she threw up in the classroom._

 _The blonde Medical Examiner smiled as she stepped into the room, noting the candles lit around the room and the beautiful redhead wearing barely any clothing at all, "Hmm… now this is definitely something I could get used to", she said softly, "Coming home to a beautiful woman"._

 _Megan smiled and wrapped her arms around the blonde, pulling her close before kissing her softly, "I hope you do get used to it", she said gently, "We have the rest of our lives to come home to each other every night". Her left hand came up and cupped the blonde's cheek, "You are beautiful Kate", she whispered softly to her, "But you're wearing far too many clothes". The redhead smirked as she said it and began to unbutton the woman's blouse with eagerness as she kissed her passionately._

 _Kate's blouse hit the floor and Megan's kisses descended down the smooth skin of her neck…_

She awoke with a scream as she felt a burning sensation against the side of her exposed leg and flinched back, tugging against her chains. He laughed as he found amusement in her pain and discomfort with the cigarette still in his hand from where he had pressed it against her soft skin. She curled up more in a useless attempt to hide herself from the cruel man as he threw the offending item to the side, away from them and it hit the floor.

The burn from the lit cigarette was bright red and angry, it had broken the skin and she looked down at it with her face contorted in pain. She struggled to sit up so that she had her head above the wound and reached up to squeeze some of the cold water from her hair which dripped onto the wound. She inhaled harshly at the feel of the cold water on the wound but knew that it was all she could currently do in order to treat the wound in any way. The medically trained woman knew that without treatment, she was at risk of an infection and even more so in her current environment.


	6. Security Footage

**A/N Thank you 'reddie-forever24' for your LOVELY reviews and encouragement, it is very much appreciated. I am AIMING to complete a chapter a day. I hope I can keep that up. I'm your favourite? Awe, I am honoured! Thank you :) Oh and BTW… thank you for the idea to write a multi-chapter for this amazing pairing ;) I am very much enjoying writing this one and have put more effort into this one than I ever have done for ANY of my stories! I even have a timeline going in a different note in order to keep it consistent and have continuity. Which I NEVER do.**

 **I re-read my story again and noticed typos and a couple of errors so my apologies to the few of you reading this ;)**

 **September 3rd 2015**

Megan was growing increasingly frustrated and agitated at the lack of information she was getting concerning the abduction of the woman she had fallen head over heels in love with. Her pacing was becoming more erratic, she was trembling slightly, her hand repeatedly threaded through her own hair, she was biting her lip harshly and her eyes kept glancing over the woman's desk.

Her heels thumped against the floor in a more violent manner than the elegant steps that she usually took whilst walking as she stepped outside of the glass walls of Kate Murphy's office, "I'm waiting Peter", she stated with annoyance in her voice, "I want to see the security footage and I want to see it _now_!". There was no room for debate in the tone of voice she used, it was a demand and it was a fierce one that was truly to be reckoned with. She meant business and they all knew it.

Peter sighed heavily and nodded, indicating that she step back into the glass walled room, "I'll bring it in as soon as I finish this", he said indicating to the papers that were sat in front of him. He knew he would have to get the USB that had a copy of the footage on and he knew he would have to show her the footage despite his hesitancy concerning the concept of her seeing it.

"Now!", she shouted in anger at him causing everyone to return their attention to the furious red headed woman whose temper put fear into any man or woman who dared to cross her path especially more so whilst her blonde boss was missing. Megan knew that Kate had indeed been abducted by the Highway Killer and the fact that the space between victims was decreasing with each gruesome murder, she was terrified that the next body on her slab would be that of the woman she loved. She feared it would be Kate. She was scared that they wouldn't find her in time. She was anxious to get the woman home where she would be safe and she vowed to never let the woman out of her sight ever again despite knowing how impossible that would be. Megan needed the chance to tell the blonde woman how much she loved her. How deeply _in_ love with her she truly was. She needed Kate back. _Her_ Kate.

The nervous man could do nothing other than stand up with a nod to confirm her demand and to grab the USB from the desk that he had been working at. There were extra desks brought in and the entire area had been turned into an emergency centre with everyone working as hard as physically possible in order to bring the woman home. The FBI team were chasing leads and the lab techs were performing extra tests on the evidence that CSU had obtained from the scenes but most importantly from the scene that Doctor Murphy had been taken from. The parking garage.

Peter entered the office as he followed Doctor Hunt into the room, she stopped near Kate's desk and without sitting down, she began to type in order to log in with her own username and password. "There", she said softly and indicated for him to use the computer in order to pull up the footage through the USB device.

The man went to sit down in the executive office chair but the chair was pulled back quickly causing him to almost fall and he would have done if he had not have had his hands on the arms of the chair. He looked at Megan with a look of confusion but the woman was glaring at him as she spoke, "Nobody sits in her chair", she stated with annoyance, it was her way of saying that she would be back and that they didn't need a replacement. She didn't want one. Hew knew in that moment that if they failed to find the blonde woman then it would have a dramatically negative effect on the woman that would possibly prevent her from working at the office at all or she would go the opposite way and refuse to let anyone take over unless she did it herself. She could work as the Chief Medical Examiner in order to preserve the memory of the beautiful blonde that she had fallen in love with.

She said nothing else on the matter as he bent over in order to slide the USB into its slot and to type on the keyboard so that he could pull up the footage. Peter Dunlop stepped aside so that the woman could hit play when she was ready. He was giving her control of what she saw and when she saw it. He ensured that there was a few feet in distance between himself and the Doctor so that she had space but close enough that if she needed him then he was there for her. The woman was pushing everyone away and refused to acknowledge any form of emotional support.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Curtis stepped close to her, "Megan?", he said gently to the woman, "You know we're here for you if you need us". They were truly worried about the red headed woman and were concerned at the rapid pace she was pacing from one wall the other past their boss' desk.**

" **I don't need anyone Curtis", she stated with slight annoyance in her tone of voice, "I just need those idiots to do their jobs". The worry in her facial expressions and body language was obvious but he also knew that she was trying her best not to cry or break down in front of everyone. She was attempting to be strong and put her walls up to protect herself from the emotional pain and anguish it was causing her. "What I need? Isn't for people to keep trying to wrap me in cotton wool Curtis!", she said with anger as she was becoming increasingly frustrated at the fact she was trapped in the office and denied access to the case. The case that was tearing her to pieces inside, "What I need is for you all to find Kate! Especially because you all refuse to let me do it!".**

 **The man nodded in confirmation of what she had said and in understanding, "We're doing what we can Megan", he said softly, "We'll find her… I promise". Despite the fact he said the words 'I promise', he knew that he might not be able to keep that promise to her and that if he couldn't keep the promise then the Doctor in front of him would never be the same again.**

 **She turned away from him with tear filled eyes, she looked up towards the ceiling in order to fight the inevitable cascade of salty liquid that was attempting to slip down the softness of her cheeks and would take traces of her mascara with it. She didn't want them to see her as weak even though they would understand the tears.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

She hesitated for a moment as she simply stared at the screen, "I don't need babysitting Peter", she stated as her eyes remained focused on the computer screen in front of her. The scene on the screen was simply the garage. Kate's car was stationary and the blonde had not entered the garage yet as she was nowhere to be seen on the computer screen.

Peter nodded in understanding before he made a quick exit from the glass walled room but he didn't go far and instead chose to sat at the desk that now lived a couple of meters from the exterior of Kate's office. Somebody needed to ensure that the fiery Medical Examiner didn't dash off to attempt to find her alone. They knew that she was liable to vanish if she had a chance. The temptation to search every space of the city was increasing with every passing second for Megan Hunt.

Her eyes closed briefly and she took a deep breath before she reached forward and clicked on the play button. She watched the screen closely as the door to the parking garage opened and the blonde woman stepped out. Megan couldn't help but smile at the sight of the woman and she paused the video on a freeze frame of Kate's face. She clicked the buttons on the keyboard to create a screenshot of the footage and her hand went out to glide over the screen where the woman's cheek was, "I miss you Kate", she whispered to the grainy image on the screen.

Megan reached up to her eyes and brushed away a stray tear that had dared to escape the prison of her eyelids before she again hit the play button. She watched as the woman who was clearly distracted by her own thoughts walked towards her car and pulled out her keys. She noted movement in the corner of the screen and again she hit a few keystrokes in order for her to create a screenshot of the movement that she had noticed.

When Kate opened the door, she noted a clear figure to the side of the camera but still he wasn't fully on screen. Repeating her previous actions, she again hit the buttons to create a screenshot. She was unaware as to whether or not anyone else had taken screenshots from the video but in order for her to take part in the investigation from within the confinement of Kate's office, she knew she needed something to work on and to go from if she was to help find the blonde woman.

Megan continued watching the security footage as Kate Murphy threw her bag into the passenger seat of her car but as the woman stood up, Megan noticed the figure had moved much closer and was now fully on the camera. He wore a blue shirt with black trousers. Quickly she produced another screenshot. Her eyes were wide as she recognised the clothing. It was the uniform that the security guards in the building wore. She saw it every single working day. She had seen it every day for years. The video had been paused so that she could study the man a little more closely. She noted his rough height; 6ft. She noted that he was also slightly overweight. His skin tone seemed to be pale as she could see a glimpse of it at the back of his neck. His hands were covered with black leather gloves and his head was covered by a baseball cap but he had not allowed his face to show on the camera. She knew he wouldn't because if her theory was correct and this was a security guard who worked in the building then he would know exactly where the cameras were and how to hide from them.

The redheaded woman hit the play button yet again and could do nothing other than to watch on helplessly as the woman she loved had her mouth suddenly covered with a dirty cloth that they had already identified as a handkerchief. She forced herself to concentrate enough to screenshot a few different angles of the man who was causing the blonde woman to struggle briefly against his clutches. Megan hadn't noticed this time that salty drops were escaping their confines of her eyelids and travelling down her face whilst dragging traces of make-up with them. She had seen how the keys to the car had fallen into the driver's seat and that the car door had been almost shut in the struggle as his aim had apparently been to shut it completely but failed to do so.

The last screenshot she could take was the sight of the woman being dragged off screen as her blue designer shoe slipped from her foot.

Her eyes glanced towards the ceiling in a failed attempt to keep her emotional reaction under control and she refused to look towards the door or walls where she knew that the others could see her and wished she had closed the blinds before she began watching the dreaded security footage. Peter had been right, she probably shouldn't have watched it but the thing was that she needed to. She needed to know what happened. She needed to find a way to help the investigation and most importantly she needed to find Kate.

When she had finished watching the footage from that angle, she hit another file in order to pull up the other angle of the parking garage. This time it didn't show Kate's car as it was hidden by a concrete wall that separated each of the individual parking spaces in the garage. This angle still shows the door to the parking garage where Kate had entered but this time it showed the middle space where the man had been stood in the previous section of footage.

She took multiple screenshots as she watched Kate enter the parking garage and then the figure come out from the side where he had been in one of the parking spaces but she noted that it wasn't the parking space where the security guards usually parked and was one that was reserved for visitors because having a close parking space gave them a more welcoming entrance and illusion of acceptance in the building. Megan watched as the man stood still for a while and gradually approached Kate but upon realising that she was distracted enough for him to move quicker, he had done so. Moments later she watched as Kate was dragged across the concrete surface of the parking garage floor with only one shoe remaining. The blonde woman's body was limp and he had his arms under hers as he dragged her forcefully and she knew that the underneaths of her arms would most likely bruise from the rough treatment. He vanished off to the side of the screen with her unconscious body being dragged with him.

She reached up both of her hands to brush away the tears that she had only just realised were now pouring down her face like a salty waterfall and causing her eyes to sting slightly. Her eyes were now rimmed with a pink hue and her lip was tugged into her mouth with her teeth digging into the flesh that had previously been perfectly painted with lipstick.

The third file that she clicked was slightly harder to watch. It was that of the car she was being thrown into, a beaten up old car that was dirtied with dust and mud. The trunk was opened with one gloved hand before he leant down to yank her roughly into the trunk, ramming her body into the trunk and causing her to be at an uncomfortable angle with her limbs tangled in the trunk. Megan noticed that Kate's head had been hit on the side of the trunk as she was carelessly forced into it and that her skirt had slipped up slightly. She also noticed that the shirt had torn slightly when it caught on the catch of the trunk. The trunk was then slammed shut harshly causing the vehicle to bounce slightly. The Medical Examiner had again taken various screenshots of the scene that she had watched.

Next she watched and took shots of various angles as the beaten up car left the parking garage and she hoped that they would be able to zoom in enough on a reflection in order to get a decent look of the disgusting excuse for a man that had stolen Kate from her.

Once she had finished watching the various video files that contained security footage of the parking garage where Kate's abduction had taken place, she grabbed a tissue from the other side of Kate's desk and began to wipe away the tears that had travelled down her cheeks and down the sides of her neck before dabbing at the wetness that had dripped onto the top of her red dress and caused random circles to form around the neckline.

After a few moments, Peter Dunlop returned to her side in the office belonging to Doctor Kate Murphy and he took a deep breath before he spoke, "Are…", he coughed to clear his throat, "Are you okay Megan?", he asked with genuine concern.

"What do you think?", she said with a scoff of disbelief, "How can I be okay?... When that monster has taken her to goodness knows where and is …..is doing goodness knows what.. to… to her". She was struggling to say it and she couldn't say the words 'torture' in the same word as the other woman's name despite the fact that it was most likely the most accurate word that could be used in this case.

Peter nodded, "I'm sorry", he said softly in reply to what she said to him and he took note of the reddening of her eyes, the wetness that had formed at the top of her dress and the shiny remnants of tears that remained on her face along with the tracks that had formed from the mascara which had been carefully applied hours beforehand.

"Has anyone gone over the footage yet to check for any reflections in the car door of Kate's car or window?", she asked him with her eyes on the screenshot of Kate's face that she had pulled up in the seconds before Peter's reappearance.

Peter nodded, "Yeah we… couldn't get a clear image", he said softly, "The FBI have analysts going over the footage and trying to clear up some of the reflections but so far they have nothing".

"The clothing he's wearing in the video", she said with her eyes still focused on the screen where the last view of Kate's face was showing, "It's the same as what the security guards wear".

The man bit his lip as he hesitated, "Anyone could wear a blue shirt and black trousers Megan", he said reluctantly, "Even me but that doesn't mean I took her".

She sighed and nodded, she had been hopeful that maybe it was the break they needed in the case. "It couldn't hurt to question them though Peter", she said as she straightened her posture to look at him rather than at the screenshot of the blonde woman, "Zoom in and get a shot of the details of the … of the ki… abductor's clothing and then compare it to the uniform that the guards wear downstairs and I can guarantee you'll find it is exactly the same". She had been unable to say the word 'killer' despite the fact that she had previously referred to him as it before. If she admitted he was a killer then it was like admitting even more harshly that Kate could be his next victim rather than his hostage.

Peter nodded in recognition of what she had suggested, "We'll find her Megan", he stated softly as he reached up a hand and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. She shrugged it off and nodded to him. "CSU has released her belongings as they found no evidence on them that was relevant to the case", he said as he watched her closely, "Want me to bring them in for you?". It was obvious how much the woman loved Kate, some had seen it before the abduction but now it was clear to every single person who set eyes on the redhead. Peter thought that it might help Megan cope if she was to have the belongings with her.

Megan nodded with a brief and tiny smile, "Thank you", she said softly to him before he stepped out of the office to collect them. Her eyes returned to the blonde on the screen and she hit a couple of keys in order to zoom in on her face, whatever the woman had been thinking about had caused a smile to appear on her face as she stepped into the parking garage unaware of the dangers that lay ahead of her. The red headed woman couldn't help but smile at the sight of the other woman's smile and she reached up again to stroke the glass screen lightly over where Kate's cheek was showing.

He returned a couple of minutes later with an evidence bag in his right hand and placed it onto the desk belonging to the Chief Medical Examiner. Inside was Kate's handbag along with a smaller evidence bag that had been thrown inside containing the woman's keys. The evidence seal was broken as it had been processed and rather than being returned to the box, it was passed onto Megan who had been revealed as 'Next of Kin'. Megan was unaware of the discovery and had assumed that a member of Kate's family would be registered as next of kin instead.

Peter left the office as soon as he had placed the evidence bags on the desk and Megan's attention turned from the computer to the bag that now sat in front of her. The fact that they were in evidence bags made the situation hit her even harder. 'Evidence' being printed on the bag made her cringe. She closed her eyes and fought the feeling of sickness that overwhelmed her along with the churning feeling she had in her gut. She was used to seeing evidence bags for _murder_ victims. This was much different. This contained the belongings of Kate Murphy. _Her_ Kate. The woman who stole her heart. The woman she loved. _Loves._

Megan looked at the executive chair and hesitated before she took a seat, it was different if she sat in it because she simply missed the woman and wanted her back. She leant back in it briefly, she had sat in it before and she smiled at the memory.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate had noticed that Megan had been acting slightly out of the ordinary throughout the day and observed her discreetly whenever she could.**

 **It was getting late and Megan was bent over an autopsy table writing notes but she kept sitting up and rubbing her hand over her neck whilst grimacing in pain.**

" **Megan", the blonde woman called out, "Could you come with me for a moment please?".**

 **Curiosity was painted on the redhead's face and she stood up from her desk in order to walk across into Kate's office as she followed her. "What is it Kate?", she asked her boss gently.**

 **Kate smiled softly, "Sit", she said in a gentle command whilst indicating to her own chair rather than the less comfortable one that sat across from it.**

 **Megan scrunched her forehead slightly, "You.. want me to sit in your chair?", she asked with slight confusion.**

 **The blonde woman nodded which resulted in the Medical Examiner doing exactly that and sitting down at the desk. "Care to tell me why Kate? You know I'm not going to do that political crap for you right?", she joked with a slight smirk.**

 **Kate chuckled softly and nodded before putting her hands on Megan's shoulders, "You're in pain", she stated, "So I'm going to help you". She gave no room for argument as she began to muscle the tense muscles of Megan's neck and shoulders.**

 **She tensed briefly as Kate's hands touched her skin through the thin layer of silk shirt, the warmth travelled through her like a comforting wave and caused her to relax.** _ **I really should stop her**_ **she thought to herself,** _ **this is too much.**_ **She found herself rather enjoying the woman's hands on her despite the platonic nature that she knew their relationship was, she couldn't help but wish that it was much more than that,** _ **Concentrate on something else**_ **, she told herself,** _ **Anything but the soft, warm feeling of her hands on you, anything but how you wished the shirt wasn't in the way**_ **. Her body was reacting on its own accord and she bit her lip to prevent a moan at the sensation that the blonde woman was creating,** _ **Think of anything … processes of decomposition… the periodic table… an autopsy**_ **, the feel of Kate's hands on her bare neck altered the thought from an autopsy and far from it to a naked body instead which resulted in the naked body of Kate Murphy. The image in her head became that of a writhing Kate Murphy beneath her and a moan slipped out without her knowledge.**

 **Kate smirked at the reaction from the woman,** _ **if only I could hear that in a much different setting**_ **she thought to herself,** _ **without so many… clothes**_ **. She was soon chastising herself for thinking such things about her colleague.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan slowly opened up the plastic bag and tugged out Kate's handbag from inside along with the smaller evidence bag. She tossed the large evidence bag onto the floor beside her and returned her attention to the smaller bag. She needed the items out of the evidence bags which were painted with the words 'Evidence' that seemed to be taunting her. She extracted the keys from the smaller bag and repeated the action she had done with the last bag and threw it to the floor and away from her.

She looked up at the computer screen again and her fingers traced Kate's jawline slowly, her head was tilted as she performed the loving motion. She found herself wishing she could do the same action with the real Kate, _I wish you were here with me_ she thought to herself as she focused on the blue eyes of the woman in the slightly grainy image, "I should never have left you alone… I should have insisted on walking you out", she mumbled to the computer as if she were truly there.

Doctor Hunt moved her hand from the screen and over the bag that belonged to the blonde woman. She noted that the CSU had put the items back in their correct places in the bag after processing them and she was grateful for that.

She noticed various pieces of paperwork that was concealed in a brown card folder and tugged it out to open it. She checked inside in case it pertained to the case of the Highway Killer but finding that it was in actual fact budget sheets, she put it onto the top of a filing shelf that sat behind the desk, she knew that the woman would want to know exactly where it was when she returned to work.

Megan returned her attention to the bag yet again and extracted the cell phone from it, she held it in her hands before leaning her chin and lips against it. Her thoughts were on the blonde Chief Medical Examiner as it had been since her abduction although it wasn't an irregular occurrence as she often found her mind wandering to the beautiful blonde. She sighed heavily and pulled the phone back to again take a look at the photo that was pasted on the front screen, "I love you so much", she said softly in a voice that was barely audible. She placed the phone to the side on the desk and then took another look into the bag, finding various objects such as a small silver vanity mirror with a 'K' inscribed on the front of it in a cursive font, a small black bag containing the basic make-up items that the blonde used on a regular basis and a notebook along with her laptop.

She put each and every item back in its rightful place within the bag and zipped it up carefully after putting the keys inside. Megan placed the bag beneath the desk near where her feet were currently residing. She knew that it was where Kate usually kept her bag and she also knew that nobody would see it there or be able to take it either.

Megan reached out and lifted up the cell phone in order to take a closer look at the photo. She bit her lip, so tempted to unlock it and take a look at what other photos that were on the phone, knowing that there were other photos of the two of them together on there and also simply wanting to see Kate's face again. She wanted to see her. She wanted to hear her. She wanted to be able to touch her. Overall she simply wanted the woman she loved to be returned to her even if they were only destined to have a platonic relationship. Something, anything was better than nothing at all. The concept of not having the blonde beauty in her life was simply too much to handle.

She ran her left hand through her hair whilst her right hand maintained a grip on the cell phone, she sighed heavily as she kept her focus on the image on the screen of the two women together. The bright smiles they both had on their faces and the happiness they both clearly felt at the time the photo was taken. She closed her eyes as she remembered the happiness she felt when Kate had insisted upon taking her out for drinks to celebrate her birthday and how soft Kate's cheek had felt against hers. She thought about how much she had wanted to turn her head and plant a kiss on the other woman's cheeks or even better to be able to cup her cheek gently and turn her in order to kiss her lips. A loving and tender kiss that would portray how much she loved her and wanted her.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **They had consumed quite a few drinks by the time that people were beginning to leave the establishment but neither women were eager to leave the company of the other.**

 **Kate ordered another round of cocktails and Megan couldn't help but smile when she set her eyes upon the 'Birthday Cocktail' that had been presented to her. It was not the first one of the night but each and every time it resulted in the same bright smile. The drink was a fruity mix and was magenta in colour. It also had an umbrella in the top, a piece of fruit hanging over the side and two indoor sparklers in the drink.**

 **The first one that Kate had ordered for her, Megan had insisted that Kate try it too and of course the blonde rather did enjoy it although insisted on not taking another sip as it had been purchased for Megan. The second went along the same lines and now it was the third Birthday Cocktail.**

 **Megan leant forward and spoke softly to the bartender in a way that Kate could not hear due to the music blaring in the background. He reached his hand down and pulled out a second straw before placing it in his drink. The redhead sat back down properly on the barstool and smiled to Kate, "No excuses", she said softly, "This one? We're sharing"**

 **Kate smirked and nodded, she was too drunk to argue but then again she didn't want to either. She pushed her cocktail into the middle of them too, indicating that her drink was also going to be shared.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***


	7. Ian Faulkner

**September 3rd 2015**

Megan was sat at Kate's desk with her head in her hands as she looked down at the phone that sat in front of her. She sighed heavily and looked up to the ceiling before running her hand through her red hair.

The autopsies had been redone to double and triple check the results but nothing extra was found other than what Megan had already revealed when she performed the original procedures. The traces found on the victims revealed nothing special other than the fact that wherever they were being kept was dirty and dusty. They could also hypothesise what objects and tools may have been used in order to torture the women.

Doctor Hunt reached her hand to take a closer look at one of the frames that sat on the woman's desk, she pulled it close to study it and smiled softly as she traced her finger over it lightly.

The photo was of the two of them together at a work function a year ago, they were smiling happily in one of the many photos that the blonde woman had taken that night. Megan wore a silk emerald dress with matching accessories whilst Kate wore a blue dress that reached just above her knees. Her blonde locks were curled and her lips painted perfectly with her the lipstick she had purchased a few days beforehand whilst out shopping with Megan.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Megan and Kate were laughing as they sat at their table, the table was circular with a white tablecloth draped over the top of it and in the centre were candles with a floral centerpiece.**

 **A man approached the table, he wore a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He had dark hair with brown eyes and stood at just over 6ft tall. The man smiled at the two women, "Hi, my name's Ian. Ian Faulkner. I was wondering if you would care to dance Doctor Murphy?", he asked politely.**

 **She glanced towards Megan whose eyebrow was raised skyward before she turned back to the man who was stood next to her, the fact that he knew her name was not a concern because each and every person at the function knew it, "I'm really sorry but I'm here with someone tonight", she said putting a hand onto Megan's knee before giving it a gentle squeeze as if to say** _ **play along**_ **, "...and I think it would be rude of me to dance with someone else". She said it with a smile but was quite distracted by the warmth of skin beneath her hand and the feel of Megan's hand covering her own.**

 **The man looked very unimpressed at the turn of events, and nodded before he left them alone. He wasn't happy at the fact that he had been turned down by the blonde.**

 **Kate turned to Megan and smiled brightly with her hand remaining on the woman's knee, "Thank you", she said softly.**

 **Megan chuckled lightly, "For what? All I had to do was sit here and hold your hand whilst that creep tried to get you to dance with him", she said with amusement in her tone although she had taken a dislike to the man instantly.**

 **The blonde woman nodded, "Well yes but you could have told him that we weren't together and that I should dance with him", she stated with a smile.**

 **Doctor Hunt nodded, "Well we are sat here together", she said softly, "So that part is true.. and you can't dance with him". She smirked as she said the last part** _ **because you're mine**_ **she thought to herself and blushed at the thought.**

 **The Chief Medical Examiner smirked, "Oh really? and what makes you so sure that I can't dance with him?", she asked with a smile,** _ **because I only want to dance with you.**_

 **The redhead stood up suddenly but kept a hold of the hand that had remained on her knee, she tugged the woman up to stand, "You can't dance with him because you're going to dance with me", she stated simply.**

 **Stood beside the woman, Kate could only nod at the statement as she was led towards the dance floor and she didn't notice the glare that the man was giving. Her eyes were focused on the emerald encased beauty in front of her, her eyes glancing over the back of the woman who was facing forward in order to walk onto the dance floor.**

 **As they stepped onto the dance floor, Kate couldn't help but smile brightly as the tempo of the music changed to a slower song and Megan covered her delight with a slight laugh before she tugged the blonde close to her. She tugged her a little harder than she had intended upon doing so and the blonde hit into her body before she was able to stabilise herself.**

 **They were laughing, joking and smiling throughout the entire song. Well in actual fact it was** _ **songs**_ **because they had danced for nearly 7 songs before they decided to sit down and get another round of drinks. Some staff already thought that something was going on between the two of them and this simply highlighted the concept despite the fact that their relationship was unfortunately platonic.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan jumped up from her seat suddenly, gripping the frame in her hand and dashing to the door before swinging it open harshly. "Ian Faulkner", she shouted to Peter, "He was at the work function last year and asked Kate to dance". She stepped closer to him and flashed the photo frame in front of him.

Peter Dunlop frowned, "That's just a photo of you and Kate", he said gently with confusion, "What makes you think it's Ian Faulkner?".

Doctor Hunt ran her hand through her hair and looked at the photo before she returned her attention to him, "I remembered when I was looking at the photo, he is the same build as the kidnapper. The same body size, the same hair colour and works here", she took a breath to calm herself slightly, "He came over to the table and asked her to dance but Kate turned him down… she… she said she had come with me and it would be rude of her to dance with anyone else".

"He's on the list of security staff that are being interviewed", he stated as he looked at the photo, "After you suggested that the clothing in the security footage looked like the security guard uniform, I had them check it and you were right Megan". She rarely ever was wrong and he knew it. She was very good at her job and part of that was to notice the smallest of details that the majority of people would overlook. "I'll let Agent Vance know", he said to her as he pulled out his phone, "We'll find her Megan".

"I wish people would stop telling me that and just do it instead", she stated with frustration as she returned to her confinement of the office, "I need her back". She whispered the last part with the aim of nobody else hearing but they did. Peter Dunlop heard the four words that her heart uttered.

Megan sighed heavily as she returned to the desk of Doctor Kate Murphy and set the wooden frame back onto the desk. Her eyes looked down at the phone in front of her and she clicked the button in order to look at the wallpaper photo again. She looked at the photo on her screen that was at risk of being the last smile ever seen on the beautiful Doctor Kate Murphy's face.

Doctor Hunt looked over at the other frames that sat on Kate's desk, one them featured the blonde woman with her parents, one of her with her brother and the other was a photo of the woman with Megan and Lacey at a horse riding competition.

 ***FLASHBACK***

" **Smile!", the woman said happily as she held the camera up whilst pointing it towards the three of them.**

 **Megan and Kate were stood next to a dark brown horse whilst Lacey was sat poised perfectly on the back of it, in the leather saddle. Megan's hand was linked with Lacey's which was dangling down so that it was closer for her mother to reach. Kate was leaning in quite close to Megan and she herself had her hand resting gently on the rider's lower leg.**

 **They looked like a very happy family and anyone looking at it would not have thought otherwise. Lacey had a blue ribbon pinned to her and one to the horse's bridle.**

 ***FLASHBACK ENDED***

"Mom!", Lacey yelled as she ran towards her after bursting through the door and into her mother's arms.

Megan embraced her daughter tightly and pulled her close so that the young girl was sat across her lap, "Lacey", she said softly whilst lacing her hand through the girl's hair, "Did you.. did you have a good day at school?". She asked her question softly as she dabbed at her own eyes before looking at her with a smile.

Lacey was leaning into her mother and looking at the image on the computer screen that sat on the desk, "Grandma told me Kate's gone missing", she revealed with a worried expression, "Have they found her yet?".

"No sweetheart", the red headed woman said softly as she pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "But they will…. they have to". She sighed as she kept her eyes on the screen and she focused on the distracted smile of the blonde whilst holding her daughter in her arms.

Joan Hunt was stood outside near Peter Dunlop as they conversed about the case and the details of Kate's abduction. The woman looked up at her daughter and granddaughter in the glass walled office and sighed, "She really loves her doesn't she?".

Peter nodded, "She's been in a wreck ever since she realised that Kate hadn't come in this morning", he stated watching the redhead, "We've had to ban her from the investigation… she's just… too close".

The woman nodded watching the two in the office. Lacey was laying back and Megan had her arms wrapped around her, "She'll be home soon Mom and then… then you can tell her how much you love her", she said with a smile.

Megan smiled brightly and embraced her daughter tightly, "You know, huh?", she said with a smirk, knowing how clever and observant her child was.

Lacey nodded, "I've always known", she stated simply, "She loves you too Mom".

The Medical Examiner's eyes again filled with tears, "I hope so", she whispered softly.

The dark haired girl curled up slightly into her mother's lap, and after almost an hour, Joan entered the room, "Come on you two", she said softly, "Let's get you home". She had remained outside of the office in order to give the two of them space.

Megan shook her head, "I'm not leaving", she stated simply, "Not until I know Kate's safe". She was determined that she was not going to go anywhere until Kate was returned. _Her_ Kate.

Joan sighed heavily but nodded after realising there was no point in attempting to alter her daughter's mind, "Come on Lacey", she said softly as she nudged the young girl who was drifting off to sleep in her mother's arms.

Lacey mumbled, "No", as she curled up as much as possible in her mother's lap, "I'm staying here with Mom".

The older woman ran her finger over Lacey's cheek, "You have school in the morning Lace", she said softly.

"Not until Kate's home", Lacey said softly, "I'm staying here". The young girl was as determined as her mother and knew exactly what she wanted.

Joan looked to her daughter for back-up but instead she got the opposite, "Lacey can stay here with me, she can sleep on Kate's sofa", she said indicating to the sofa on the other side of the room, "And… she … she doesn't have to go to school in the morning". She knew that the young girl would be too distracted at school to concentrate on anything other than Kate Murphy.

"If that's the case then why don't I go and get some dinner from the local chinese?", she suggested with a smile, "I'll grab a change of clothes for the both of you and a warm blanket so you can both get some rest tonight". Joan smiled sadly when she noticed the image on the screen and turned her attention back to her daughter and granddaughter, "I'll also grab Lacey's medication".

Megan smiled briefly at the woman and nodded, "Thank you", she said softly before returning her attention to the young teen in her arms and holding her close. Her eyes were on the photo in front of her and her thoughts were on her too.

Later that night, they had eaten their dinner from the local chinese take out place and now Megan was sat on the sofa in Kate's office, her daughter laying down beside her with her head in her lap.

Lacey slept peacefully with the blanket over her body and holding onto Megan's hand whilst the Medical Examiner looked at the phone in her hand. She flicked the silent button on the side of Kate's phone before she put it down on the arm of the sofa and picked up her own cell phone. She hit the call button and called her blonde boss despite the fact that she was missing and she had the woman's cell phone beside her. She simply wanted to hear the other woman's voice again. She missed her immensely.

Kate had only been missing for just over 24 hours and already it was driving Megan slightly crazy despite the fact that she had often gone that amount of time without seeing the blonde. This time however was very different because this time she was facing the concept of never seeing her again.


	8. No Witnesses

**September 4th 2015**

The light began to filter through the small, high up, caged and dirty windows as the sun began to come up. There was no electricity within the dusty old warehouse and so the night had been extremely dark. Kate had jumped at every little sound as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

Kate Murphy was slumped on the floor with her hands and feet still held captive by harsh, cold metal cuffs that were attached to the concrete floor with a thick metal chain. The chains were bolted to the floor with heavy duty bolts that wouldn't budge no matter how much the blonde woman tugged at them. She had been weakened by the beatings she had suffered at the hands of her abductor.

The blonde Medical Examiner had a large and very swollen contusion to her head where it had harshly connected with the trunk of the car which was causing the unconsciousness that her mind was suffering from. Her memory was patchy and she had periods of confusion along with blurred vision. The injury she had suffered to her head had resulted in a concussion. She was aware enough to know that she needed medical treatment for her symptoms but she knew that it wasn't going to happen until Megan rescued her. _Her_ Megan. The ice water was very uncomfortable when it was thrown on her each of the four times but part of Kate's mind knew that the coldness of the liquid in turn helped her head injuries.

A large scratch was along the soft, pale skin of the blonde woman beneath the rough tear of her blue silk blouse that had caught on the catch of the car's trunk. Dirt was marking her clothing and skin from being dragged across the parking garage floor. Her skirt showed tracks of dust from being left abandoned on the cold concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse.

Three cigarette burns marked her body; one on her lower leg, one on her thigh after he had roughly pushed up the material of her skirt and one on the back of her left hand. Her neck was bruised with the shape of the man's hand which matched the other bruises on her arms and thighs where he had violently gripped her. Knife cuts were running along the top of her right thigh, her right ankle, along her right hip and one along her slender neck.

Her clothing was torn, wrinkled, wet and completely ruined. Neither of her shoes were left on her feet and her tights were torn where the knife had connected with her skin. Blood had dripped down the side of her face where the head injury was although the majority of the original blood had been washed from her. The injury had resulted in a lot of blood being left in the trunk of the car, staining the carpet inside of it and leaving traces on the trunk. Blood had spilt from the other wounds leaving blood stains on her clothing and skin. Tear tracks were down her face, traces of makeup were on her face where the water and tears had dragged it down.

Her thoughts were on Doctor Megan Hunt. The woman she loved. The woman she wanted. The woman she needed. The woman whom she had faith in to save her. The woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She closed her eyes tightly and pictured the woman's face. A small smile spread over her face as she thought about the woman. She imagined holding her close, touching her, kissing her and telling her how much she loved her.

The violent, dark haired man had not returned since late the previous night and had left her alone in the dark. She flinched in fear at every sound as she feared he would come back at any moment but she found the courage to do one thing each time. She would call out. She would call one name only and that name was 'Megan'.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **The warehouse was dark, dusty and silent whilst the moon gave an eerie feel to the scene. It reflected on the windows slightly but gave no decent lighting to the room. The sound of a car in the distance could be heard in the otherwise silent warehouse.**

 **Kate looked up and struggled to sit as she called out in desperation, "Megan!", her body was shaking and her breathing was irregular. "Megan", she called out again as her vision began to blur again. She tried to fight the overwhelming feeling of tiredness, "Megan", her voice was coming out too quietly to be heard unless you were standing very near the warehouse but she still tried. She slipped into a state of unconsciousness yet again as she whispered in desperation, "Megan".**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

It had been approximately 36 hours since Kate's abduction and Megan was still awake as she sat on the sofa in the woman's office. Lacey was laying beside her with her head in her lap, on the material of the red dress Megan had been wearing the previous day and the blanket was draped over her body carefully. The young girl's legs were curled up and her hair was draped partially over her face.

Doctor Hunt looked at the phone in her hand, she looked at the photo of the two of them together and sighed heavily before she ran her hand through her red hair. The phone notified that the woman had _52 missed calls, 18 voicemails and 10 text messages._ If the phone was to be unlocked it would have been revealed that all of those calls, voicemails and messages were from Megan. At first the calls had been her attempt to get the woman to answer her phone…

" _Kate where are you?"_

" _Kate? Where are you? Pick up the phone"_

" _Kate? Pick up the phone"_

They became increasingly desperate as time went on...

" _Please Kate…. Please just answer the phone.. I need to know you're okay… Please Kate"_

" _Kate… You're worrying me… Please pick up the phone… I need to know that you're okay"_

" _Please pick up Kate, please? I just need to know that you're okay and that he… he hasn't … just please? call me"_

The voicemails that she had left for her the previous night and early hours of the morning didn't bother to beg her to pick up the phone because the phone was in her hand and nowhere near Kate. She only left four messages throughout the night because the other calls were cut off before they went to voicemail. The main aim of calling it was to hear Kate's voice in the form of the answering machine message.

" _..."_

" _Kate… I… I'm going to find you.. I promise"_

" _I'm so sorry Kate… I should've waited for you and walked out with you… I'm so sorry"_

" _Please forgive me Kate… I'm sorry"_

Carefully she extracted herself from beneath her daughter and moved to exit the room, she needed to know what was happening with the case and to know how close they were to finding the woman she loved. She needed her back. _Now._

Peter was on break so she glanced around and moved to his desk, they had left her unattended. Big mistake. She reached out a hand and opened the file on the desk to look at the papers within. She saw the man's employment information inside and glanced over it to read it quickly. Megan noticed his contact details, his photo and other relevant information including his work schedule.

She looked around and quickly took a photo on her phone of the piece of paper before closing the file. Megan marched towards her car in the parking garage knowing that the agent tasked with watching her was fast asleep in his chair and drooling on himself in a very unattractive manner.

Megan paused as she reached Kate's car, she had to pass it in order to get to hers which was only two spaces away from hers and she ran her hand over the front of the car. She snapped as she rushed to the driver's side door of her own car, she had her phone in her pocket and had left Kate's cell phone in the blonde woman's office.

She glanced at the address in the photo that she had taken with her phone and exited the parking garage with more enthusiasm than she ever had before, only pausing as she got to the security gate to the building. Megan frowned as she saw Ian in the guard's office as he wasn't supposed to be there today as it wasn't on his work schedule.

Ian didn't know what hit him, he had been so distracted as he spoke with his colleagues that by the time she got out of her car and approached him, he had nowhere to run. She had blocked him in and her fist had connected with his head, "What did you do to her?!", she shouted angrily, "What did you do to Kate?!".

The other security guards looked on in shock, they were surprised that the redhead was accusing their colleague of the crime but was hesitant to try and restrain her unless they desperately needed to. They also knew that if Megan was right then it wasn't her that would need to be held for law enforcement.

The man smirked, "I don't know what you're talking about", he claimed as he began to stand up from where he had been floored by the Medical Examiner.

"You took Kate from the parking garage", she stated, "Where is she?". She stepped forward and gripped him violently by the throat, " _Where_ is she?".

He laughed at her with an evil glint in his eyes, "You'll never find her in time…", he said as she glared at him, "She calls out for you, you know?". He took pleasure in the look of pain and fury that crossed her face.

Megan gripped his neck tighter and he attempted to push her off but the fact she wasn't drugged or tied up like the other women meant that he didn't have the strength to fight her as much as he wanted to and with two witnesses? It didn't seem like the best idea to beat a woman. "You will tell me where she is and you will do it now!", she screamed at him. Her hand reached down and gripped tightly onto his genitalia, "Where. Is. She.", as she spoke through gritted teeth, she also twisted her hand and in turn twisted his private parts.

He screamed in agony at the torture that his 'family jewels' were on the receiving end of and groaned, "I'll tell you.. I'll… I'll tell you", he said in order to beg her to let go of his most private area.

Doctor Hunt however kept her hand there, "Tell me", she said through gritted teeth with a tense jaw, "Where is she?".

"Warehouse", he said hastily, knowing that at any moment he could be manually castrated by the redhead, "Reed Street… It's the last one on the right". He said referring to the abandoned warehouse.

She let go of his private parts and his neck before hitting him violently with a closed fist yet again, "When I find her… I'm going to make sure that every single thing you have inflicted on her is inflicted on you", she threatened, "I will come for you".

"Threatening me in front of witnesses? After beating me?", he chuckled, "I'll have you done for assault before you even have a chance to do anything".

The other security guards looked at each other and then at him, "I saw nothing, what about you guys?", one of them asked to which the others replied in similar manners.

Megan smiled at them, "Get the FBI down here to arrest him… I'm going to find Kate", she said rushing to the car in order to start driving towards the location she had been given and found herself hoping to G-d that she would find her safe and sound.


	9. I'm Sorry

"Where's Megan?", Peter Dunlop demanded as soon as he stepped into the office and saw the woman missing from Kate's office where the young girl still slept. He was annoyed and it showed obviously upon her facial features.

The FBI agent stuttered and mumbled, "I… I… I don't know", he was nervous and he was starting to sweat a little whilst he rubbed his palms worriedly. The man had short dark hair, hazel eyes and wore a black suit.

Peter groaned, "What do you mean you don't…..", he was cut off by the ring of the phone that sat on his desk, "Dunlop".

 _The guard glanced around at his colleagues and then down at the bleeding man near his feet, "Doctor Hunt told us to inform you guys that the Highway Killer is Ian Faulkner and he is currently with us in the security booth at the parking garage gate", he said politely, "She has gone to get Kate"._

"I'll send someone down to collect him, where did Megan go?", he asked with concern in his voice as he reached out to grab a piece of paper along with a pen.

" _Reed Street", he said into the phone, "Last warehouse on the right". The man looked down at the killer at his feet and smirked seeing his injuries as he truly did deserve them, "Also I think you should know that Ian may have had a slight run in with the wall"._

Peter laughed and shook his head, "I guess that's your story and you're sticking to it?", he said knowing that it wasn't the truth but then again his comment was solely in jest.

 _The man nodded despite Peter's lack of visual, "You know it", he said simply before they ended the phone call._

Peter Dunlop looked at the FBI agents who were starting to again file into the office, "Guys, we have Ian Faulkner in the guards office at the entrance to the parking garage so you're going to have to go arrest him also I need a couple of you to come with me to get Kate. We have a location and we'll call an ambulance on the way", he said hastily yet remaining professional which had been rather difficult when he knew the woman who had been abducted. "You", he said pointing to the man who had let Megan slip by him, "are in charge of watching Lacey". He had indicated to the sleeping child in the office, "Lets hope you don't lose track of her like you did Megan". He was less than impressed that he had lost the woman but he couldn't help but be rather impressed with how Megan had obtained the location of their blonde boss.

The FBI agents set off with their task of arresting the man who was being held by security guards, the others were on their way to an unmarked FBI car with Peter Dunlop with the aim to find both Kate and Megan as soon as possible. The lights were shoved on the roof of the black car swiftly as soon as they entered the vehicle.

Meanwhile over the other side of town, Megan pulled her car violently up outside of the warehouse that she had been informed would house the woman she was in love with and it caused dirt and dust to shoot up into the air.

In her rush she left the keys in the car and the door wide open as she ran towards the door of the warehouse, "Kate!", she called out loudly, "KATE!".

The blonde woman struggled to sit up, her vision blurry and her head thumping in pain as her chains rattle slightly, "Meg… Megan… Megan...", she called out quietly but loud enough for the redhead to hear her voice.

Upon hearing the voice she had missed over the past approximate 36 hours, she burst through the door and ran to the side of the chained up Chief Medical Examiner, "Kate", she gasped upon seeing the woman. She wrapped her arms instinctively around Kate and held her close, running her hand gently up her back to lace through her hair.

Kate clung on to Doctor Hunt as though her life depended upon the physical contact she was currently being given, "I… knew you'd come", she said softly, "I knew you'd come for me". Her hands although weaker than usual were gripping the red material of the other woman's dress to keep her as close as possible.

"I'm going to let go now Kate", she said pulling back slightly to look into the woman's blue eyes, "I need to find the key so I can get you out of here". She didn't want to let go of her but at the same time she knew she had to if she wanted to get her out of the dusty warehouse. As she looked at her she took a quick catalogue of the injuries that she could see; the blood smears on her skin, the mascara traces down her cheeks, the cuts to her neck and legs, the burns on her legs and the obvious head injury.

The blonde woman was clearly reluctant to let go of Megan but did as she nodded and with a little help managed to sit up. Kate watched as Megan went to find the key, "On.. on the table", she said softly to her.

Megan nodded and grabbed the small key from the table before returning to the side of her injured boss and began to unlock her heavy chains. She heard the distant sound of ambulance sirens and cupped Kate's cheek to look into her eyes, "They'll be here soon", she said softly, "Now lets get you out of here". She slid her arms beneath Kate's knees and back to lift her up carefully. Megan lifted her up so carefully it was as though she were carrying an expensive china doll.

Kate leant her head into Megan, her hand went up to grip the hem of the woman's dress and kept her eyes cast upwards towards the redhead's face.

As she carried the woman with caution out of the warehouse she saw the ambulance turn the corner which was following the large, black FBI car containing two agents along with Peter Dunlop.

One of the paramedics ran forward to collect the woman from Megan's arms but the grip the blonde had on the red material was as strong as she could manage and the hold that Megan had on Kate wasn't going to let up anytime soon. "I'll carry her", she said softly before she looked down at her, "I'm not letting go of her". When she said the last part, her eyes didn't leave the blue ones of the woman in her arms. The emergency medical personnel nodded in confirmation as he quickly realised that there was no space for discussion when it came to the blonde woman.

Megan stepped into the ambulance and placed the blonde woman onto the stretcher with a high level of care before she lovingly took hold of Kate's hand.

The paramedic stepped forward but realised he was not needed as Doctor Hunt catalogued her injuries whilst reeling them off to him rather than allowing him to examiner her himself. He noted that she was extremely protective over the blonde and he also noticed the loving look that the women were giving each other. The man also quickly realised that the nurses and doctors at the hospital were going to have a hard time trying to get between the two in order to treat the blonde themselves.

Megan carefully lay a soft blanket over the blonde's body after briefly detaching her hand from the other woman's one and she then strapped the blonde in so that the woman would be safely secured in the ambulance.

"She going to be okay?", Peter asked as he leant into the ambulance with concern etched on his features.

Kate was still rather dazed from her head injury but she had managed to remain conscious and Megan nodded, "Yeah…", she said in reply to the man's question, "... she will be". Her eyes never travelled to the back door of the ambulance and instead remained on the blonde whose stretcher she had perched her behind on the edge of.

Soon the doors were closed and they were travelling towards the nearest hospital with the blonde patient lay looking up at the redhead who in turn was looking down at her with pure love and concern in her eyes. Doctor Hunt kept a hold on Kate's hand with her right hand and she had her left hand resting gently on Doctor Murphy's cheek with her thumb brushing over the skin. "I'm so sorry", the red headed Medical Examiner whispered to her gently.

Kate looked a little confused, "What for?", she queried, "You have nothing to be sorry for", she said softly.

Megan looked down, briefly breaking the eye contact they had, "For… not walking you out.. for not…".

The blonde Medical Examiner cut her off whilst reaching a hand up to cup the redhead's cheek, "You have nothing to be sorry for", she repeated. "You came for me… just like I knew you would", she said softly with a smile, "I knew you'd come".

Doctor Hunt's hand came up to brush away a tear from her own face and then to cover Kate's hand that still resided on her cheek. She couldn't help but lean into the warm touch and close her eyes for a very short period of time before she returned the hand to Kate's cheek.

The paramedic looked away as he felt he was intruding on a private and loving moment but he smiled briefly at how loving the two were. He assumed that they were already a couple.

Kate smiled softly up at Megan, "How did you know where I was?", she asked curiously.

Megan smiled in return, "The photo on your desk of the two of us at the office function last year", she said softly, "It made me remember when you were asked to dance but you said you were with me instead and we ended up dancing". The memory was making her smile and it had the same effect upon the blonde who lay beside her, "I remembered his name was Ian Faulkner and how annoyed he looked when you put your hand on my leg".

Upon hearing the last part, Kate moved a hand to rest on the closest of Megan's legs and smiled up at her, "You remembered all of that?", she said with a slight smirk.

Doctor Hunt laughed briefly and softly at what the other woman said, "Sure did".

"That doesn't explain how you knew I was in there", she pointed out because Megan had explained how she knew who the UnSub was but now how she got the information as to her whereabouts.

Megan smirked and shrugged slightly, "He may have had a run in with the wall", she stated as she watched the blonde. The paramedic found the reasoning rather amusing and shook his head briefly.

Kate shook her head, "I didn't know you changed your name to 'The Wall' but if it's okay with you, I'll stick to calling you Megan", she said teasingly.

Back at the Medical Examiner's office, Joan had returned to the office where the now wide awake Lacey was sitting waiting for her so that she could meet her mother and Doctor Murphy at the hospital. She had insisted upon going and had threatened to find another way to the hospital if her grandmother didn't take her there herself.

Joan knew that her granddaughter was just as determined as her daughter was and that she would go ahead with her plan to get to the hospital so rather than risk the girl walking the whole way, hitchhiking or threatening a federal agent, she had given in to the girl's request. She was worried however as she wasn't aware of what condition the blonde was in. The older woman knew however that Megan would permit Lacey to go to the hospital and that there wouldn't be much point in attempting to call or text her because she wouldn't answer.


	10. Lacey's Lie

Joan was driving the car towards the hospital and glanced towards Lacey who sat in the passenger seat. The young girl was showing clear signs of being worried and rather agitated, "She'll be okay Lacey", the older woman said softly as she reached out a hand to give the child's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I know", she mumbled with her elbow leaning on the side of the car and her hand preventing her from speaking properly with its position beneath her chin. "I… I just … I'm worried grandma", she revealed before biting her lip nervously.

The older woman nodded as she pulled up to the hospital and began to park in the carpark, she herself was also nervous because she was unsure as to what state the blonde woman would be in when they got in there.

Lacey was climbing out of the car as soon as the vehicle came to a stop and she ran towards the entrance to the hospital. Her grandmother put her arm up in preparation to protest the girl's rush but realised that there wasn't any point.

As Joan entered the hospital she just got the end of what Lacey was saying.

"I'm her daughter and I demand to know where she is!", she said with anger clear in the tone of her voice.

The nurse nodded and swiftly moved the mouse and clicked a few times on the keyboard, "She is currently in room 352", she said and as she looked up she realised that the girl was gone.

Lacey was running along the hallway to try and find room 352, closely followed by Joan Hunt. The room was struggling to keep the girl in sight whilst wearing her designer heels and skirt suit.

Megan was in room 352 whilst sat on the edge of the blonde's bed, holding onto her hand gently with one hand and the other hand was running through the sleeping woman's blonde locks. The woman had been bandaged up with various sized dressings on her wounds. Her tights had been removed carefully by the redhead who refused to allow the nurses to do it and her clothing had also been changed by the Medical Examiner whilst the blonde drifted in and out of consciousness. Megan had done as the paramedic predicted and refused to allow medical staff to touch the other woman any more necessary because she was in a protective mode. The protective mode was to be expected with what they had been through in the past day and a half. Megan had gone through emotional trauma whilst Kate's was both physical and emotional.

The dark haired child rounded the corner to the room and gasped in shock as the woman lay with a bandage on her head, neck, and hands with the rest of her body hidden by a soft blanket. "Kate", she said softly as she moved closer to get a better look at the woman. She reached out and touched her cheek softly before dabbing away her own tears.

"She's okay Lace", Megan said softly, "Come here". She held out her arms and the young girl moved to stand in between her mother's legs, wrapping her arms around her. She let the tears come, "I was so worried", the young girl revealed.

Joan stepped into the room and went to embrace both of them after checking on how Kate was. "How is she doing?", the older woman asked her daughter.

Megan glanced over at the blonde in the bed and again took hold of her hand, "She's going to be okay", she said softly although knowing it would be more of the psychological effects of the events that would take longer to heal rather than the physical injuries.

Mrs Hunt smiled and nodded before turning to Lacey, "So…", she said softly, "Care to tell me why you lied to the nurse?". When she asked it, her eyebrow was raised and she had a slight smirk on her face.

Lacey bit her lip and her mother looked very curious before the young girl spoke, "She wouldn't tell me anything and I needed to know the room number". She glanced over at the sleeping blonde and bit her lip as she paused in her explanation.

Megan raised her eyebrow as she watched her daughter who stood in front of her, "What did you tell her Lace?".

"I… may have told the nurse that Kate was my mother", she said softly as she glanced between Megan and Kate.

Megan simply laughed softly whilst shaking her head, "That's my girl", she said proudly, the young girl was very much like her mother and had done it to get what she needed in order to be by Kate's side.

Gradually the smile spread on Lacey's face as she realised that she wasn't in trouble and she hugged her mother again before pulling back. Joan had taken a seat in the chair beside the bed. "Anyways", the young girl said softly, "You both love each other so she'll probably be my mother at some point". She said it as easily as if she were commenting on the weather or her what they were going to have for tea.

Megan pulled her lower lip into her mouth before smiling sadly with a shake of her head, "You're wrong Lace… I", she said with a sigh.

"No I'm not Mom", Lacey said firmly, "I know you love each other, I can see it… everyone can see it". Megan looked at her mother but Joan nodded as she agreed with the girl. "You should tell her".

"But she… she doesn't…", Megan mumbled.

"I agree with _our_ daughter, you should tell me...", Kate Murphy mumbled from behind Megan, putting emphasis on the 'our' with a hint of amusement. "Although I was previously unaware that I had a daughter so apparently a lot has happened since he…". She didn't finish her sentence but her blue eyes watched the woman who was sat on her bed.

Lacey smiled softly, "You heard me then?", she questioned with a bite of her lip and a slight blush.

The blonde woman nodded and reached her hand out to take a hold of Lacey's, "Very quick thinking", she commented, "It was a brilliant idea". Kate let go of the girl's hand to sit up properly and Megan hastily stood to adjust the bed to help position the woman in a comfortable manner. Kate smiled brightly, "Thank you", she said softly to the woman who had helped her whilst the other two people in the room smiled at the scene unfolding before them.

"Do you need any pain medication?", Megan asked gently with concern laced within her voice after the blonde had flinched slightly whilst moving.

Kate shook her head and patted the bed beside her in order for the redhead to return to her position on the side of the bed. She then patted the part of the bed right next to her at the top of the bed whilst looking at Lacey and she then put her arm out to her. The young girl sat carefully on the bed, only for the blonde to tug her close so that the girl's head was on her shoulder and arm was around Lacey.

Lacey gradually settled into the woman's arms with a smile, "I'm glad you're okay", she said as she looked up at Kate who was watching her with a smile.

Megan watched her daughter interact with her boss and couldn't help the smile that spread on her face.

Doctor Murphy thread her hand into through the young girl's hair, "You were right", she said softly with her eyes focused purely on Megan, "I do love your mother". Megan smiled with tears threatening to fall, "Very much so", Kate said softly.

Doctor Hunt smiled brightly at the other woman, "I love you too Kate", she replied with a voice that crackled with emotion.

Lacey smirked, "I knew it", she said simply.

"Well you are a very bright young girl...", she said softly as she glanced down at the girl in her arms, it felt so natural to have the child there and she slid over slightly more to tug her closer. The young girl curled up against Kate's side rather happy to and she took comfort in the action of the blonde. "...just like your mother", the Medical Examiner finished with a smile towards Megan before gently squeezing her hand.

Joan smiled lovingly as she watched the scene between them, maybe Lacey's lie wasn't really a lie after all but instead a form of a prediction or a hypothesis. "I'll go and grab us some lunch", the woman said as she stood up, wanting to give them time alone together, "How about you come and choose what you'd like to eat Lacey?". Her question was posed in order to give the two women a chance to be alone together.

Lacey frowned, hesitant to leave Kate's side in case she vanished as soon as she lost physical contact so she shook her head to refuse the offer.

"She can stay Mrs Hunt", Kate said softly as she held the young girl close as she had felt grip her hospital gown slightly and knew that the girl was listening to her heartbeat as her head had shifted to her chest. It was clear the the blonde liked having the girl with her and they looked natural together.

Megan smiled brightly at the two of them and looked over at her mother, "She's okay Mom", she said politely.

Joan nodded, "I'll grab something to eat for us all", she said softly before leaving the room.

The Chief Medical Examiner smirked as she heard the young girl in her arms speak, "Mom… Are you going to kiss Kate or leave her waiting even longer?". The young girl looked rather amused.

Kate looked up at Megan, "I was wondering the same thing Lacey", she said with amusement in her voice as she watched the other woman.

The Medical Examiner moved closer, cupped her cheek gently and smiled lovingly before her lips met the blonde's in a gentle kiss. The kiss was brief but soft and full of promise.

Kate's hand moved from the girl's waist to go up to cover Lacey's eyes before her other hand went to Megan's neck and pulled her in for a deeper and much longer kiss before the need for air became a necessity. When both women pulled apart they had huge smiles on their faces and their eyes were sparkling with happiness and love. Megan laughed softly when she realised where the blonde's hand had gone in order to shield Lacey's eyes.

Lacey had begun to giggle with amusement at her eyes being covered by the blonde, "You know I'm not a baby right? I have seen people kiss before".

Kate smiled and uncovered the girl's eyes, "I know", she said amused although had shielded her eyes because it wasn't 'people' kissing, it was the girl's mother and the first proper kiss. She had always been protective over the girl but now even more so.


	11. When Lacey Got Sick

**September 4th 2015**

Kate looked up as the Mrs Hunt walked with with two bags of food and smiled before greeting her politely. Megan turned and greeted her mother before reaching out to nudge her daughter slightly, "Lace?", she said softly, "Wake up honey". Amusement was clear in her tone of voice as she had realised the girl had fallen asleep nearly ten minutes previously.

Joan couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the young girl who was rubbing her eyes tiredly like an infant as she found it rather adorable. "I hope you guys are hungry", the older woman announced as she began to set out their lunch on the table. She had purchased a platter of various sandwiches on it along with some fruit and fresh juice. "I wasn't sure what you like Kate so I thought it best to buy a variety", she explained with a smile. It was a rather large variety of sandwiches on the platter that now lay on the table.

The blonde smiled towards the older woman, "That was very thoughtful of you, thank you Mrs Hunt", she said softly in a very polite manner.

Joan Hunt smiled softly and glanced between the two, "Considering your relationship with my daughter and that…", she paused looking at Lacey, "... that my granddaughter has apparently taken to calling you her mother…", as she said it she had an amused smirk on her face before she finished speaking, "I think it would be appropriate for you to call me Joan". It was a way of accepting the blue eyed woman into their family and to accept the relationship beginning between Kate and Megan.

Lacey was now much more alert and had tugged the table closer for it to be over Kate's legs so the injured woman could reach the food. "Can you reach?", she asked looking at the woman beside her.

Kate nodded, "Yes sweetie, thank you", she said softly before they all began to consume the food and drink that had been purchased for their lunch. She found herself looking around the room with a smile, glad that it was just them and it already felt like she was home with her family. She had always loved Megan but never imagined that the fiery redhead would feel the same way as she did, luckily she had been very wrong on that front. The woman had always had a soft spot for the other woman's daughter and enjoyed spending time with her. She already loved her like she would her own child.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate had the day off because she had been in a meeting for the whole morning but Megan was still working, in fact she was elbow deep in a body whilst in the middle of an autopsy. The issue however was that Lacey had become ill whilst at school due to her diabetes. It wasn't anything serious but she was unable to continue with her school day as she wouldn't have been able to concentrate and needed some rest.**

 **This was during the brief period of time that she had dated Lacey's father. She had used him as a distraction from her attraction to her co-worker but it had as predicted, completely failed. The attraction she felt for Megan was far too strong for any form of relationship placebo. He had been at work and knew that Kate would take the rest of the day off after the meeting, so he decided to call her to see if she would be willing to pick up the young girl and take care of her for a while. The school had been unable to reach Megan as her phone was in her office. Kate of course agreed to look after Lacey and didn't need to think about it. She wanted to.**

 _ **Kate: Hi Megan, I'm picking Lacey up from school as she wasn't feeling very well. They tried to call you but you're probably in an autopsy so they called Todd. He is busy working so he asked me to look after her. She is fine, just tired.**_

 **It wasn't long before the Medical Examiner noticed the message. Megan frowned at the message as she was worried about her daughter but smiled at the fact that Kate had her. She loved Kate with all of her heart but thought that the woman was straight and in love with Todd Fleming. She was wrong. On both counts.**

 _ **Megan: Thank you Kate. I can finish early and come get her? My boss is off today so I'm sure she won't notice if I leave ;)**_

 **The blonde shook her head in amusement as she read the message after pulling up outside of Lacey's school.**

 _ **Kate: I'm not sure. I've heard your boss is pretty clever so I think she may work it out some how ;) I've just arrived at the school so I'll text you in a little while when I have her. I'll take her home and give her some lunch then we will probably watch movies. I'll order pizza for the three of us when you finish work.**_

 **Megan smiled at the message and shook her head in amusement at the woman's comment concerning the 'clever boss' that 'may' work it out if she left early. She would normally freak out at the fact her child was being sent home but the fact that a doctor was with her and not just a doctor but a woman she had come to love, respect and trust, she was not as worried as she would normally be.**

 _ **Megan: You're right… she is pretty and clever so I will be home around five. That sounds great! Keep me updated on how she is. Thanks again Kate**_

 **Kate had gone into the office to collect the young girl and Lacey had gone to her straight away and although looking very tired, she embraced the Medical Examiner quite tightly. Both of them went out towards the car with Lacey's hand firmly in Kate's, usually the young teen was reluctant to hold anyone's hand but at that point in time she was exhausted, needed comfort and also she had a different set of rules for the blonde who she was rather keen on. The blonde helped Lacey into the car before climbing into the driver's seat. The woman picked up her phone again to message Megan. "I'm going to text your mother to tell her that I have you and that you're alright", the woman said which resulted in a nod and an 'Okay' from the girl.**

 _ **Kate: I have Lacey with me, we're going back to mine. She just seems tired so I'll grab her something to eat on the way home.**_

 _ **Megan: Thanks Kate, I'll keep my phone with me. I have to go and start on Mrs O'Riley's autopsy.**_

 **Lunch had been purchased and eaten so Lacey was now laying on the sofa with her head resting on the blonde woman's chest, the woman was running her fingers through the girl's dark hair whilst they were both watching a movie, snuggled up beneath a warm blanket. The young girl was tired and was drifting in and out of sleep as she lay beside her mother's boss on the soft sofa.**

 **Kate kissed the top of the child's head, "Go to sleep", she said softly, "You need your rest".**

 **It was almost six hours before Megan managed to arrive at Kate's home and she used her 'emergency key'. Kate had kept her updated on the young girl's condition throughout the day and Megan was relieved to know that the only effect it had on her child was that she was tired. She had also told her that she would need to use the emergency key because Lacey was asleep on her.**

 **Megan smiled as she stepped into the front room after carefully closing the door, she could see her daughter fast asleep lying beside Kate on the sofa with her head on her chest. Kate's hand was laced into the girl's hair and she herself had fallen asleep with the movie playing in the background. The redhead chose to call in the pizza order first, knowing that Kate wasn't planning to do it until she got home.**

 **After ordering their dinner, she moved to kneel in front of the sofa in the other woman's lounge, "Hey", she said softly as she gave into temptation and ran her hand gently over Kate's cheek, "I ordered the pizza".**

 **Kate's sleepy blue eyes gradually opened and she looked at the other woman with a bright smile, she had felt the soft hand on her cheek and for a moment simply soaked up the feeling it gave her, "How was work?", she asked softly, not wanting to wake the young girl yet.**

 **Doctor Hunt shrugged, "The usual… Mrs O'Riley's cause of death was a Myocardiac Infarction before her cats decided to snack on her after being left with the body for three days", she said with a frown, "and it turns out Mr Finch thought he could fly after consuming a various number of illegal substances".**

 **Her boss smiled, "The usual then huh?", she said with a shake of her head, "Hungry cats and flying men".**

 **They had then spent hours watching movies and eating pizza before Megan ended up sleeping over at Kate's when her daughter decided that she didn't want to leave and the blonde permitted a last minute sleepover.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***


	12. Kate's Dream

**A/N - Changed to an 'M' as a precaution… because lets face it… we needed a Kegan love scene**

 **September 5th 2015**

It was the day after Kate had been rescued by Doctor Hunt and the blonde was lying in bed fast asleep. She had had her scans and checks before she was released early from hospital the same day as her rescue. Under normal circumstances she would have been kept in for observation for a few days but finding nothing seriously wrong with the woman and considering she herself was a doctor as well as her doting new girlfriend who doctors thought she was dating before their first kiss even happened. They decided that it was safe to permit an early discharge from the hospital but advised the woman to take at least a couple of weeks off work and to not partake in any strenuous activity. When he had said it he had cast his eyes towards the redhead who had been sat on her bed at the time as though a hint to refrain from sexual intercourse.

Lacey was fast asleep in her bedroom whilst Megan lay beside Kate in what would now be _their_ bed rather than just Megan's. They had decided to stay at Megan's rather than Kate's for Lacey's sake but had picked up some of Kate's belongings on the way there such as clothing, make-up, pyjamas and wash things. Although truth be told, the pyjamas weren't required considering both had gone to bed in only their undergarments.

Kate was currently curled up to Megan's side with her head on the woman's chest and arm draped over her bare stomach. One of her legs had come to rest in between Megan's legs and Megan's arms were wrapped securely around the blonde to hold her close. It was as if they were both clinging to each other and if one were to let go then the other would disappear. The slight fear had been a direct effect of the events of the past couple of days and it would take them a while to come to terms with what had happened as well as to get used to the change in their relationship that had been inevitable. Everyone but them had seen it coming.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate was stood at her desk with her palms planted firmly on her desk as she raised her voice slightly at the fiery redhead who stood in front of the desk. The case had been taken over by the CDC or as Megan referred to it as 'stolen'. This fact had frustrated the woman and she had marched into her boss' office as soon as she had been told. The woman was far from happy.**

 **Both women however were showing stereotypical external signs of want and arousal towards each other despite the arguing. Their eyes would dart to the other's lips. Their breathing was erratic. Their body language and facial expressions were not the same as if they were angry at anyone else also their anger wasn't as high as if it were someone else their anger was directed towards. Especially Megan's.**

" **Do you think they realise that they just need to have sex with each other and then they'd be fine?", one of the lab techs asked the other with curiosity.**

 **The other lab tech laughed, "It sure would be much calmer if they just shut the blinds, locked the door and got on with it".**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Kate shifted slightly in her sleep and her hand moved up slightly causing it to be dangerously close to the other woman's breast but the sleeping Medical Examiner simply pulled the blonde more firmly against her.

 _Megan's hand drifted along Kate's side in a feather light touch and the blonde arched her back to get closer to her. The hand gently squeezed Kate's waist and drifted even lower to stop at her behind and pull the woman closer to her._

 _The kiss was growing even more intense as tongues begun to battle for dominance with Megan winning. Megan's left hand was buried in her boss' blonde hair whilst Kate's was holding the back of Megan's neck to pull her closer and keep their lips firmly attached to each others._

 _Both women moaned softly as their bodies were fully pressed to each other, full on skin on skin contact other than the lingerie that both women were still wearing. They didn't pull away from the kiss until oxygen was the highest of priorities. "I do believe Kate.. that we are wearing far too many clothing", Megan said as she nipped at the woman's ear lobe after moving her lips up from their position on Kate's neck where a mark was beginning to form._

 _Kate smirked, "Oh I agree", she said softly as she flicked open the clasp on the other woman's bra and it wasn't long before the last scraps of material were thrown to the floor and forgotten with the other clothing that had been discarded beforehand. They had left a trail of clothing much like Hansel and Gretel had left a trail of breadcrumbs._

 _Megan was leaning over the now nude Chief Medical Examiner as her right hand drifted down in a tortuously slow manner over the softness of Kate's bare skin. Both of their breathing was heavier than usual, their eyes much darker and other signs of arousal were very obvious._

 _Kate couldn't help but lift her hips slightly at the woman's delightful torture and a moan emitted from her lips…_

Megan frowned slightly in her sleep at the sound of Kate's moan and gradually opened her eyes as she felt the other woman's hip movements against her. She bit her lip to prevent herself from moaning when she realised that the other woman was fast asleep and could only hope that the dream was about her considering the wet feeling she had against her thigh from the lacy underwear the other woman was wearing.

" _Megan…", she moaned as the woman's hand drifted over exactly where she needed it to be…_

Doctor Hunt found herself extremely tempted to carry out whatever this woman was dreaming about but could only hazard a guess at what it was. She found herself running a hand down Kate's back towards her behind and with that hand she pulled the woman closer. This in turn released a groan from the sleeping blonde woman beside her and a moan from herself. The blonde pressed more against the woman's thigh than she had beforehand and it was becoming even harder for the other woman to resist.

… _Kate moaned at the pressure on her cliterous and pulled the other woman closer to her, "Oh God… Megan"..._

That was it, the Medical Examiner couldn't take it anymore, she leant forward and captured the woman's lips in a searing and passionate kiss that left nothing to the imagination as to what was on her mind and what she wanted. It served its purpose and awoke the blonde from her slumber whose breathing was still erratic, and whose private parts were still firmly pressed against the other woman's thigh.

The blonde still had the dream fresh in her mind as though it had been happening for real and within moments was returning the kiss with just as much eagerness, "We'll have to be careful", Megan said softly as the kiss came to an end, "But I can't wait not after what you just did". She smiled and leant down to press her lips against the part of her neck that wasn't hidden by the bandage. She was loving and gentle whilst being very careful not to harm the other woman.

Kate smiled as Megan pulled her to lay on top of her, she kissed her lovingly and pressed down against her, "I love you", she said softly as she looked into the other woman's eyes.

"I love you too Kate", Megan said softly as she cupped the other woman's cheek, "I always have and I always will".

The Chief Medical Examiner smiled brightly, "Always huh?", she said before smirking slightly, "Hmm… imagine how long we could have been doing this for". The woman leant down and began to kiss the redhead's neck before whispering, "Instead of arguing in my office we could have … done this instead", she said as she ran her hand down to press against her centre.

Doctor Hunt moaned softly, "Now that would have been much… much better", she commented before pulling the other woman closer to kiss her deeply

An hour later and they were laying in each other's arms whilst gradually calming down after their extracurricular activities when they heard Lacey walking around the kitchen and the clanging of pans. Megan smiled, "I think we should get up, we need to change your dressings too", she said looking at the blonde in her arms.

The blond was reluctant to get up but nodded, "I'm not sure Lacey should find us like this", she said with slight amusement knowing that the chances were that the young girl would do breakfast for all of them because she was very good at making pancakes and had been rather protective over her.


	13. Pancakes

**A/N I'm glad that the double update cheered you up 'reddie-forever24', when I saw your comment on chapter 10, I decided that I had to throw another up for you. Thank you again for your fabulous reviews. Also a thank you to 'poopsie87' and 'sandavis687' for your reviews. This story is now OFFICIALLY my longest story and it is due to get even longer because I have a few more story twists in mind ;)**

 **September 5th 2015**

Lacey woke up as the sun begun to seep through the gap in the curtains and she smiled happily remembering that Kate was safe in the other room. She was relieved that the woman was safe and she was glad that the two women had finally confessed the truth concerning the love they have for each other.

The young girl climbed out of bed and wandered into the kitchen before pulling out the equipment and ingredients in order to make pancakes. She also pulled out some fruit from the fridge which included; strawberries, blackberries and blueberries before grabbing the maple syrup from the cupboard because she wanted to make it extra special.

She mixed the ingredients to create a batter within the large glass mixing bowl after turning on the stove with the frying pan on top. Once it had heated up, she began to make the pancakes and put the pile of pancakes on a plate. Lacey put three plates on the kitchen counter in order to put a pile of pancakes on each. She topped the pancakes with a dose of syrup before putting a mix of berries on top of them.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate was sat on the sofa beside Lacey with a stack of pancakes on plates on each of their laps. The television was on and was playing the latest music videos which they were both occasionally commenting on. Lacey would sing along now and then when she knew the song that was on at the time.**

" **These are the best pancakes I have ever had Lace", the blonde said with a huge smile, "Thank you for showing me these". The woman had begun to date her father only a few days before and he had been called into work at the last minute which left her with the young girl.**

 **Lacey grinned, "I'm glad you like them", she said softly as they continued to eat the syrup covered breakfast.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

The plates were placed on a tray and she lifted the it up before she began to walk towards the bedroom. Lacey placed it on the table in the hallway in order to knock on the bedroom door just in case they weren't dressed appropriately for company.

The two women had already gotten dressed and were checking on Kate's dressings when Kate called out, "Come in", knowing it would be Lacey. The wounds were healing well and were free from any infection. Each time a bandage was checked and replaced, Megan would plant a soft kiss on the blonde's lips.

Lacey opened the door but didn't step inside, instead she turned and picked up the tray. She walked into the room with a bright smile, "Good Morning", she said happily to the both of them.

"Morning Lace", Megan said to her daughter and stood to take the tray from her and lay it on the bed making sure to put it in the middle.

Kate smiled brightly at the sight of the young girl, "Good Morning Sweetie", she said softly before putting her arms out from where she sat on the bed. Lacey went to her happily and sat on the edge of the bed to be encased in the blonde woman's arms in a secure embrace. Megan smiled at the scene as her boss spoke, "Those look lovely Lacey, thank you", she said softly.

Megan smiled as she moved to sit on the bed beside Kate and Lacey moved to sit at the bottom of the bed. The young girl picked up one of the white plates and handed it to Kate as she didn't want the woman to lean forward to pick one up. She settled it into the woman's lap and smiled softly

"They look wonderful Lacey, thank you", she said softly before she begun to dig into them. She turned her head suddenly when she heard a soft moan from the blonde beside her with the image flashing through her mind of the blonde writhing beneath her.

Doctor Murphy had the silver fork in her mouth and was slowly tugging it out after eating a piece of pancake with syrup and a blueberry on it, "They are delicious Lacey, thank you so much", she said softly and glancing to the redhead who had a slight blush on her cheeks.

Lacey smiled, "I thought you might need some of my special pancakes... ", she said happily, "... and that they might help you feel a bit better".

Kate smiled and nodded, "Well I think they're already working", she said softly and in truth they were because the loving action was making her feel a bit better in more of an emotional sense. The effect of having the loving family environment was very beneficial to her recovery as it gave her a calming and relaxing setting.

The dark haired young girl smiled happily, "That's good", she said softly as she continued to eat her pancakes whilst being sat on her mother's bed in her pyjamas.

The blonde woman looked at the young girl, "What would you like to do today Lacey?", she asked softly after a while.

Lacey thought for a moment about what they could do, "How about a movie marathon in here?", she asked with a smile as she didn't want to do anything that would be strenuous for the blonde and also she didn't want Kate to go out of the apartment yet. The idea of Kate going out of the apartment made her rather anxious despite the fact she knew that the man was currently behind bars. The young girl was being very protective over the woman which was a personality trait that she had in common with her mother.

Ian Faulkner had been arrested by the FBI and they had taken him away for questioning. The evidence against him was damning as the warehouse had a lot of trace from the man such as the cigarette remains with his DNA along with the empty beer cans outside. They had briefly asked Kate a few basic questions before being pushed out of the room by Megan.

 ***FLASHBACK***

" **We're going to need to ask some questions Doctor Murphy", Agent Vance said when he entered hospital room 352. The remains of lunch were still on the table and Joan was in the process of clearing away the trash.**

 **Kate nodded, but Megan protested slightly, "Be quick", she said sharply, "The full interview can wait until she feels better".**

 **Casey Vance nodded, "Of course Doctor Hunt", he said in confirmation knowing that there wasn't any point in attempting to argue with the redhead.**

 **He stepped closer only for Megan to glare at him which caused him to step back to his previous position nearly two meters away from the woman. He began asking a few basic questions which was just to confirm the basics of what they knew.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan smiled at the girl's suggestion, "That's a great idea Lace", she said softly, "How about I go out and get some snacks for our movie day?".

Lacey nodded, "Can you pick up some Hershey's Almond chocolate Mom?", she asked with a smile, knowing it was Kate's favourite, "... and some twizzlers?". She loved twizzlers especially the strawberry ones.

Doctor Hunt smiled and nodded, "You don't like Almond chocolate", after saying it she realised why the girl had chosen it, "You chose because Kate does, didn't you?". She smiled brightly and was very proud of her daughter.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate handed a bag of twizzlers to the young girl who was sat on the sofa in her office, "I got these for you", she said softly after pulling them out of her drawer.**

 **Lacey smiled as she took the bag from the woman, "Thank you Kate", she said happily as she opened the plastic bag of candy, "Would you like some?". She was offering the first pieces to her mother's boss.**

 **The blonde woman shook her head, "No thank you, I have this", she said pulling out a bar of Hershey's Almond chocolate, "This is my favourite chocolate". she said it with a huge smile on her face.**

 **The young girl scrunched her face, "Yuck", she said with an amused giggle.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

"Chocolate fixes pretty much everything", she said quoting what her mother had previously told her, and it was seen to be true because when her sugar levels were low, it did in fact help. A lot.

Kate smiled, "I agree it definitely does", she said softly, "and thank you".

After Megan had returned from the store with bags filled with candy which included one whole bag filled with Hershey's Almond chocolate especially for Kate during her recovery, they had watched a number of movies and none of them had changed out of pyjamas for the day.

Megan had taken two weeks vacation because Kate was signed off for at least two weeks and she wanted to ensure she was there for her throughout her recovery. It wasn't the physical injuries that she was worried about but the psychological effects it could have on her after recovering from the physical ones.


	14. Name Choice

**A/N - I have a cover photo! Woohoo ! What do ya'll think of it?**

 **September 5th 2015**

It was the second day of waking up beside the blonde woman and Megan lay watching her as the sun rose and begun to filter through the curtains. She truly loved the fact that she could wake up beside her lover every day for the rest of their lives. To wake up with the woman she had loved for so long was truly the best gift in the world and there wasn't a thing that she would change other than Kate being uninjured and them confessing their love much sooner.

The blonde was lying half way over the top of Megan with her legs draped over her and between the two legs whilst her arm was draped over her stomach and head was hidden in the crook of Megan's neck.

Megan smiled as she wrapped her arm around the woman more securely to hold her closely and she leant down to press a kiss to the blonde.

Doctor Murphy looked up at her with a smile, "Good Morning", she said softly in sleepy voice as her bright blue eyes shone with pure love and adoration. "I love waking up like this", she admitted with a smile before pressing a brief kiss to the other woman's lips.

The Medical Examiner smiled as she was kissed softly, "So do I", she admitted in return as she tugged the woman even closer, "What would you like to do today?".

She pondered the question that was posed to her and shook her head, "I'm not sure", she said softly.

Megan smiled, "Well…", she said before pausing, "...We could have a movie marathon again if you'd like?". She suggested with a smile, "I don't think you're quite ready to go out yet", she said softly.

The blonde woman nodded, "That sounds good to me, I don't think my body could handle too much walking yet", she said softly before she carefully straddled the other woman's lap. As she settled into the position she flinched in pain and had to carefully pull back.

"Not too fast", the redhead said softly before she ran her hand lovingly over Kate's cheek, "You have to be careful". Her eyes contained worry, concern and affection as they met with the bright blue eyes of the woman lying in her bed. "You need to relax so you can heal", she said with a smile, "I love you Kate".

"I love you too", Kate said as her bright blue eyes sparkled with love and adoration for the other woman, "So very much". The blonde pressed a kiss to the other woman's cheek, "I promise to be careful, I'll stop doing whatever I'm doing if the pain is too much", she confirmed confidently.

Megan smiled brightly and nodded, "Good", she said to the other woman, "We should put some clothes on before Lacey comes in".

The blonde woman smirked and nodded, "I think that would be a good idea", she said softly, "Does this mean we'll get pancakes for breakfast again?". She had a grin on her face as she asked because she truly did enjoy them.

The redheaded Medical Examiner chuckled softly and nodded, "I am sure that that can be arranged". She moved so that she was propped up and slightly over the other woman, "How about pancakes with Hershey's Almond chocolate on the top of it?", she asked with a slight smirk.

Kate looked intrigued and nodded with a smile, "That sounds great", she said enthusiastically making the other woman laugh softly.

Seconds after they had gotten dressed into some casual clothing, Lacey knocked on the door wearing her pyjamas.

"Come in Lace!", her mother called out to her from her position sitting on the edge of the bed beside where the blonde now lay peacefully.

Lacey entered the room with a huge smile painted across her face, "Morning Mom, Morning Kate", she said happily before she moved to hug the both of them, one at a time.

Kate smiled although she found herself missing the girl referring to her as her mother but didn't understand why she felt that way. She couldn't comprehend as to why she felt so strongly about the child or why the girl felt like her own despite being with her mother for only two days.

Doctor Hunt smiled at the young girl, "Kate would like pancakes with Hershey's Almond chocolate on the top", she stated with a smile, "Would you like me to make them or do you want to do it?". She already knew the answer to the question but asked with anyways with a smirk on her face.

Lacey jumped off the bed, "I'll make them!", she exclaimed excitedly as she ran to the kitchen without another word to either of the women who burst into laughter at the sight.

"She loves you, you know", Megan said softly as she squeezed the other woman's hand whilst looking at her.

Kate nodded with a smile, "I know", she said softly, "and I love her too". She was genuine when she said, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with the both of you", her hand had moved to cup the other woman's cheek as she looked into her eyes, "I love you Megan".

"I love you too Kate", Megan said with a huge smile painted on her face, "and.. I can't wait spend forever with the both of you either". She leant forward and captured her lips in a loving but gentle kiss, "Forever with you…", she said kissing her again before continuing, "and with _our_ daughter".

The smile on Kate's face broke into a huge grin, "I like the sound of that", she said softly.

"The sound of forever?", the Medical Examiner asked curiously.

Kate shook her head, "Well… I do like the sound of that but I was referring to when you called Lacey… _ours_ ", she said with a huge and happy smile.

Megan's smile grew as she heard the words that was spoken from the woman beside her, "It's the truth", she said as she lovingly cupped Kate's cheek, "and I do believe that Lacey would agree with me too"

Lacey had been stood by the door with the tray of pancakes watching the two of them together before she interrupted the scene, "She's right", she said with a smile before she walked towards the bed and placed the tray onto the bed.

Kate smiled brightly and put her arms out to the young girl, "Come here", she said softly signalling for an embrace.

The young girl moved closer and hugged the woman happily before leaning back, "Now we just have to think of what I should call you…", she had an element of amusement in her voice. A friend in her class had two mothers and the girl called one mother 'Mom' and the other 'Mama' but she couldn't work out what to choose for Kate yet….

 **A/N Drop me reviews with your suggestions as to what Lacey should call Kate! ;) Kate grew up as a military child and is known in a canon manner to have resided in; Japan, Germany and Italy so I thought it might be a good idea to use the translation of mother in one of those languages ? That way it would touch on the canon storyline a little more…**

 **German - "Mutter"**

 **Japanese - "Okasaan"**

 **Italian - "Madre" or "Mamma"**


	15. Splashing Around

**A/N I have chosen the German term 'Mama' because not only did 'Kate Murphy' live there as a child but Jeri Ryan was actually born in Germany!**

 **September 6th 2015**

The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky with no clouds in sight and the sun reflected on the water of the stream. On the grass was a tartan picnic blanket with a light wooden basket perched on the edge.

Kate was leaning back against the tree with her head resting on the shoulder of Doctor Megan Hunt whilst they held onto each other's hands firmly. The love was clear in their body language and the way they were so close to each other. Her bandages had been changed before they left and Megan had brought a small emergency supply kit with her just in case they needed it. The blonde woman wore a pair of jeans with a loose top and flat ballet pumps with her hair in a ponytail.

Megan had an arm wrapped around the woman beside her and tugged her closer before pressing a kiss to the top of Kate's head, "I love you", she said softly to her with a smile on her face. It was like a dream come true to have this woman in her arms after wanting this for so long.

Doctor Murphy looked up at the other woman and smiled brightly before leaning in to kiss her lovingly, "I love you too Megan", she said before kissing her again.

A few metres away from them, Lacey was splashing in the water that flowed in the form of a small stream. The water was clear and the young girl was enjoying getting rather wet in the stream as she kicked the water.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Megan laughed happily as she knelt on the bathroom floor with a towel folded under her knees for cushioning and she shook her head at her daughter's antics.**

 **Lacey was only two years old and she had a mass of dark hair, her eyes sparkled with happiness and she was excitedly slamming her hands down into the water making it splash out of the bath and onto her mother's clothing.**

 **Doctor Hunt loved to spend time with her child but to provide for the young girl, it was hard because her job required long hours away from her beautiful baby girl. Megan however treasured every single moment with her daughter.**

" **You're crazy Lace", the woman said softly to her happy child, "But I love you so much". She gently moved her hand to cup the infant's cheek and smiled as the child stopped for only a couple of seconds before splashing a large amount of water onto her mother's blouse. The woman had enough water on her that many would have incorrectly assumed that she had been in the water as well.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan carefully extracted herself from the embrace of the stunning blonde beside her and snuck up behind her daughter to splash her suddenly. The young girl squealed in surprise and her eyes went wide before she burst into a fit of giggles and chased her mother to do the same to her. The woman had slipped her shoes from her feet and left them on the blanket where her girlfriend was sat. She had jeans and a light blouse on. The jeans were rolled up to her knees so that she could go into the water without them getting soaked.

By the time Megan stepped away from the stream and went towards the blanket. Her clothing was wet and her blouse was sticking to her. Kate was laughing at the antics between the two of them as she had found it rather amusing to watch and found herself even more eager to heal so that she could join in with them. She was tempted to but knew that it wouldn't be a great idea to do so. The idea to go to the stream had been Megan's because she knew that Kate wanted to get out of the house but she also needed to think of something that wouldn't be too strenuous for the injured woman. Both Megan and Lacey found themselves watching the blonde closely in a protective manner.

Kate's eyes went wide as her girlfriend began to move closer and closer with a mischievous look painted upon her face, "No Megan", she said trying not to laugh. Megan simply smirked and moved closer as Kate moved slightly away from the tree. "No, no, no", she repeated a few times.

Doctor Hunt moved even closer to the blonde woman and was soon carefully straddling the woman without touching her. Kate's breathing was a little harsher than usual, her pupils dilated and she had a slight blush on her face. She leant down to press a kiss to Kate's lips before deepening it. She used the kiss as a distraction as she lay down on top of the woman whilst holding her weight off of the woman so that she wouldn't put pressure on any of Kate's wounds. She then used her weight and rolled so that Kate was lying on top of her.

The blonde woman began to laugh softly realising that the front of her clothing was now rather wet from the water that Megan's clothing had soaked up from the stream. Kate didn't bother to climb off of the woman and instead chose to remain in her position on top of the woman whose arms were wrapped around her. She leant down and pressed a kiss to Megan's lips.

Lacey returned to the blanket with a huge smile on her face and sat at the edge of the blanket before Kate gradually climbed from her position on the girl's mother and instead sat back against the tree where she had previously been.

Megan smiled at her daughter, "You hungry?", she said softly to the young girl.

The dark haired girl nodded and smiled before pulling back the flaps of the picnic basket and pulling out a few items of picnic food, laying the food out on the blanket in the middle, "What would you like Kate?", she asked with a smile as she pulled out three plastic plates and three plastic cups which were shaped like wine glasses. Lacey made up a plate of food for Kate despite the fact that the blonde said she could do it herself. Kate didn't protest however because she recognised the determination in her eyes to help, which was the same look that Megan would get on a case or the look she had in her eyes throughout her rescue. She also knew that the young girl was being very protective of her because the events that had transpired did in actual fact have quite a strong effect upon the girl. It wasn't just Kate affected by what had happened but also Megan and Lacey. That fact alone highlighted how much the blonde meant to the both of them.

Megan smiled watching the interaction between her girlfriend and her daughter, she loved the both of them and was very excited to spend the rest of their lives together. The atmosphere at the stream was peaceful and tranquil as it was just the three of them there. The sound of the stream and the wildlife were the only sounds other than the sound of their voices when they occasionally spoke. The peaceful, loving and relaxed feeling was something they wanted to hold onto and for it to last forever.

After eating their lunch, Lacey leant against Kate in an embrace as she was getting rather tired from the day's excitement, "Are you feeling any better Mama?", she asked looking up at the bright blue eyes that were watching her.

Megan was tearing up as she smiled watching them, to many it would seem too soon to call her that but in reality the two women had been dancing around each other for years and Lacey had seen Kate as a motherly figure for years.

Kate smiled with tear filled eyes and nodded, "A lot better", she said softly before kissing the top of the girl's head, "I love you Lace". Her voice was filled with emotion as she said the statement of love to her.

Lacey grinned happily, "I love you too Mama", she said before looking at Megan, "And you too Mom".

The Medical Examiner moved closer to embrace both of them before she spoke, "I love you too Lace", she said softly, "The both of you".

Kate's reply wasn't vocal but instead physical as she captured the woman's lips in a loving kiss with their daughter squished between them both.


	16. Rizzoli's Pizza

**September 7th 2015**

Kate was wearing a blue dress with flat shoes (she would usually wear high heels but she had found that her body weren't quite ready for that yet), her hair was flowing down around her shoulders and back. Her bright blue eyes were hidden behind oversized designer sunshades and she had one foot hanging out of the car but the other resting on the door frame. The sun was shining down making the blonde woman glad that she had her shades with her.

Beside the Chief Medical Examiner was her redheaded girlfriend; Megan Hunt. Doctor Hunt was stood beside the car with her hip resting against the side of it. The woman reached out and took hold of Kate's hand softly before pushing the blonde's sunglasses onto the top of her head. This resulted in their eyes meeting and smiles bursting onto their faces. Short, soft kisses was shared between loving looks.

The sound of the school bell rang out and broke the quiet moment between the two of them and signalling that Lacey would be out soon.

It wasn't long before Lacey was stood in front of them with a huge smile on her face, "Hey Mom, Hi Mama", she said embracing Megan who tightly returned the loving gesture to her daughter whilst smiling happily.

"Hi Lace", Megan said before the girl stepped back slightly.

Kate smiled watching them both, her sunglasses still perched on top of her blonde hair, "Hey Lace, How was your day ?", the woman asked gently as she wrapped her arms around the young girl who had stepped in between her legs.

Lacey shrugged and embraced her Mama Kate whilst leaning into her carefully, "It was okay", she said simply. The girl had been very reluctant to leave that morning for school as she wanted to stay home and make sure that Kate was okay as well as safe. Lacey had been texting throughout the day to both of her mothers and luckily hadn't been caught by her teacher with her phone. She needed to check in with her mother to make sure that her mama was still safe.

 ***FLASHBACK***

" **Hey", one of the girls in the class said with a smile as she sat down beside Lacey Fleming.**

 **Lacey smiled, "Hi", she said softly but she wasn't as outgoing as she usually was and her friend noticed that straight away.**

 **The young girl glanced around the room before returning her gaze to the dark haired girl beside her, "I heard about what happened with your mom's boss", she revealed carefully, "Is… Is she okay?". She seemed hesitant and worried when she asked the question.**

 **Lacey nodded, "Yeah she… she is", she said and was convincing herself more than the other girl so her smile began to appear at the thought of Kate being okay, "She's home now and Mom's looking after her".**

 **The girl smiled, "That's good", she said simply, "That's really nice of your Mom… not everyone would look after their boss".**

 **Lacey nodded with a smile, "Kate isn't just my Mom's boss… She's my Mama".**

 **The girl grinned, "That is so cool Lace, now we both have two mothers", she said excitedly. She was happy because she had been the only one in her class that had two mothers and she felt left out. Some had thought it weird but Lacey had accepted it as normal - which in truth it was.**

 **Megan's daughter nodded with a huge grin, but said nothing.**

" **She'll be okay Lace", the young girl said softly, "Why don't you text her? I won't say anything… I'll cover for you".**

 **Lacey nodded, "Thanks", she said softly as she began to text her mother.**

" _Hey Mom, Is Mama feeling any better? Give her a hug for me x"_

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

The blonde gave her a gentle squeeze and smiled, "Come on Lace, how about we grab some takeout on the way home?", she asked softly, Megan put her hand out to press gently on Kate's that was

Lacey stood up straight and smiled brightly, "Pizza?", she asked eagerly, "From Rizzolis?". She loved pizza from the Italian family run establishment known as 'Rizzoli's' and considered them to be the best pizza she had ever tasted which resulted in her refusing to consume any pizza that wasn't a 'Rizzoli' pizza.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Lacey was sat on the sofa with Kate, both of them were laughing and talking about random things that had happened at school that day.**

 **Kate turned towards the door at the sound of it opening and Todd came in with a pizza box in his arms, "I grabbed pizza on the way home", he announced happily.**

 **The young girl's eyes lit up and she ran to the counter excitedly making Kate laugh but soon the smile dropped, "Oh", she said seeing the pizza box that was definitely not 'Rizzoli's'.**

 **Kate bit her lip knowing exactly what was wrong, "Want me to grab Rizzoli's for you?", she offered as she put a hand on the girl's shoulder.**

" **We have pizza Kate", Todd said abruptly looking between the two of them.**

 **Lacey looked down and shook her head, "No.. it… its okay"**

 **The blonde woman nodded, "Want me to make you some macaroni cheese?", she offered the young girl**

 **The young girl loved Kate's 'Special Macaroni Cheese', and nobody seemed to make it the way she did, "Yes please Kate", she said with a smile before embracing the woman beside her, "Thanks Kate".**

 **Todd looked confused, "We have pizza", he repeated, "Why won't you eat the pizza?". He looked very unimpressed and was looking at Lacey.**

" **Go sit down Lace", Kate said pressing her hand to the girl's lower back, "I'll bring the macaroni cheese over as soon as I've done it". The girl nodded and left the room without replying to the question that her father had posed to her.**

 **The man didn't look impressed and stepped closer, "Why is my daughter refusing to eat the pizza?", his body language was a little threatening.**

 **The blonde glared at him, "She only eats Rizzoli's pizza", she stated**

 **Todd continued to glare, "Why?".**

 **Kate sighed, "First of all it tastes a lot better, Secondly both her and Megan got food poisoning from** _ **that**_ **place", she said indicating to the box that was currently laying on the countertop, "and also the family that run Rizzoli's restaurant are friends of Megan and I so Lacey loves to spend time there".**

 **The man glared, "Well in the future you don't tell her she doesn't have to eat something", she said firmly with his voice gradually raising, "She will eat what is put in front of her".**

 **Lacey had returned to the kitchen and stopped in her tracks to see her father standing in front of Kate, with his arms either side of her and almost pinning her to the kitchen counter. He saw the girl and stepped back before storming out of the apartment.**

 **The blue eyed woman put her arms out towards the trembling young girl and instantly wrapped her arms around her to pull her closer, "It's okay Lace", she said softly.**

 **The young girl looked up at Kate, "Did he hurt you?", she asked worriedly.**

 **Kate looked concerned that the thought had even come to the mind of the young girl. That should have been the first sign that something was wrong. Very wrong. That sign was brushed under the carpet though and the Chief Medical Examiner shook her head, "No Lacey, I promise you that he didn't hurt me and never has". That seemed to reassure her and the older woman smiled, "How about we go and get Rizzoli's and then we go to my apartment?", she asked softly, she would have suggested they go to Megan's but the redhead was at a conference in New York.**

 **The young girl nodded, and looked up at Kate, "Thank you Kate".**

" **It's just pizza", she said simply and pressed a kiss to the girl's head but to the girl, it wasn't** _ **just**_ **pizza.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Kate nodded and gave the young girl's hand a squeeze whilst looking into her eyes, "Always". Megan hadn't found out about that night but she noticed the huge grin that came across her daughter's face.


	17. French Braids

**September 8th 2015**

Megan wrapped her arm around Kate's shoulders and tugged her closer so that the blonde leant up against her. Doctor Hunt pressed a soft and loving kiss to the top of her girlfriend's head with her feet stretched out in front of her as they watched the television.

Kate's arm slipped around the woman's waist and her head moved to rest upon the redhead's shoulder comfortably. After a few minutes she moved her hand upwards to cup Megan's cheek and pulled her in to capture her lips in a passionate and searing kiss.

"I love you", the blue eyed woman said softly as she watched the woman with sparkling eyes.

Doctor Hunt carefully lay back and tugged the blonde to lay above her, "I love you too", she said softly before returning her lips back to the other woman's in a loving and sensual kiss. Their lips danced together in perfect synchronisation.

Her hands slid down Kate's sides to the edge of the woman's fairtrade organic blue t-shirt and began to gradually slide it upwards to reveal some of the pale skin that was previously hidden behind the material. The blonde woman kissed her with an increasingly level of passion before she sat up to throw her top away from them and in a random direction.

Kate eagerly pulled at the material that covered Megan's body causing the other woman to chuckle slightly at the impatience that the other woman was showing, "We still have to be careful Kate", she reminded the other woman before she carefully sat to remove her own top so that the blonde had the skin on skin contact she was clearly wanting.

Knowing that the position they were in was beginning to be painful already, Kate reluctantly stood up and pulled her body from the one belonging to the woman she loved. She put her hand out to take Megan's, who stood straight away and followed her to the bedroom.

For years Kate and Megan had wanted to be in that room together in a romantic manner, it had taken a lot of self restraint to keep their hands off of each other but if they had known that the feeling was mutual then they wouldn't have restrained themselves. They would have been together for years, happily. Instead they both pushed their feelings under the carpet to be ignored but however much they tried, those feelings could not be forgotten. Hiding their feelings and dating others was supposed to prevent heartache, the heartache of being rejected by the other but in truth it had done the opposite. The sight of the other dating would cause heartbreak. The fact they couldn't call the other 'theirs', hold their hand or kiss their lips all caused further heartbreak. They tortured themselves daily without even realising that they had the power to stop the pain they felt.

 ***FLASHBACK***

" **I was wondering if you'd go out on a date with me?", Todd asked the blonde woman in front of him, he seemed slightly nervous but he was pretty cocky in his attitude so he was a lot less nervous than what most men would be when asking such a stunningly beautiful woman out on a date.**

 **The blonde woman looked up from the file in her hands, "I'm sorry", she said softly, "What did you say?". Her thoughts had been distracted by thoughts of the Medical Examiner upon seeing the cursive writing in the file written by the redhead.**

 **Todd wrongly thought that it was the case that was distracting the blonde rather than his ex and mother of his child, "I asked if you'd like to go out on a date with me", he repeated, "Friday? 7pm?".**

 **She hesitated for a moment as she looked at him, she could see Doctor Hunt through the glass wall where the woman stood talking to a lab tech nearby,** _ **I wish you were here asking me… oh what I would give to hear you say those words,**_ **she thought to herself as she contemplated the question,** _ **but you never will and I have to find a way to forget… to forget how much I love you, want you, need you.**_ **She found herself nodding as she spoke to confirm the acceptance of his offer, "Friday at 7", she said softly although not with as much confidence as she was attempting to show.**

" **Is there anywhere you'd like to go?", the man asked her with a smile not realising that the smile that now rested upon the woman's face was caused by the Medical Examiner behind him and not caused by him.**

 **Megan stepped into the room, "Kate? I need your help", she said softly, she had seen her ex in Kate's office and found herself feeling jealous. She had attempted not to go into the office but her feet had apparently ignored her and soon she found herself stood in the office trying to find something to say.**

 **Kate looked up and nodded with a slightly brighter smile on her face, "Of course, I'll be right there", she said softly despite the fact that she knew Megan most likely didn't need help at all. She stepped forward to follow the Medical Examiner and put her hand briefly on the man's arm, "You choose", she stated before leaving the room to follow Megan.**

 **The blonde Chief Medical Examiner had wrongly assumed that the other woman simply didn't want her ex and her boss dating each other but was unaware that the reason Megan hated the idea was that she was deeply in love with that boss. Deeply in love with** _ **her.**_

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Almost an hour later and they found themselves wrapped in each other's arms after having had to stop their activities when Kate gasped in pain.

"You should have told me you were in pain Kate", Megan chastised as she held the woman close to her and kissed the top of her head in a loving manner.

The blonde shook her head and looked up to meet the other woman's eyes, "If I had then we wouldn't have done that", she said with a slight smirk.

Megan nodded, "That is true", she said simply, "But only because I don't want to hurt you Kate, I love you and we have the rest of our lives to do that… and more".

"I love you too", Kate said softly. She smiled happily, "I like the sound of that", she admitted, before repeating part of what Megan had said, "The rest of our lives"

Her hand was softly running over Kate's cheek, "Next time you tell me when you're in pain and if you don't start telling me then we will have to listen to the doctors and we won't do this at all", she threatened with a smirk.

"That is cruel", she said with slight amusement in her voice and a look of mock shock on her features, "Although, I do think that you'd have to give in". She was rather confident that the other woman would cave rather quickly and end up making love to her despite claiming that she wouldn't.

Megan shook her head and laughed softly, "You really think so, huh?".

Kate nodded and reached up to put her hand on the back of Megan's neck to tug her close. She pushed her lips against the other woman's and begun to kiss her with an increasing amount of passion, their tongues duelling and she used her other hand to tug her body closer to her.

When a moan emitted from Megan's lips, the blonde pulled back and smirked, "You could never withhold sex", she said with even more confidence.

Shaking her head, she smirked as she watched the rather flushed blonde, "We are going to have to be careful though Kate because you're right…", she admitted despite never admitting to anyone else that she was wrong, she hated to think she was wrong but then again she rarely ever was, "... I could never withhold that from you". She leant forward to capture her lover's lips in a very slow and sensual kiss, "It was hard enough to keep my hands off of you for the past few years but now that I have you?", she sighed as she looked into the bright blue eyes she had fallen in love with, "I don't think I could ever keep my hands off of you ever again".

Doctor Murphy smirked, and kissed the other woman in a passionate and deep kiss, "Good", she said simply before continuing, "Because that makes two of us".

HIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLER

 **September 9th 2015**

"Mama!", Lacey called out from her bedroom before she stood up and began to go and find the blonde woman, she was in her school uniform and getting ready to go to school but her hair was a mess.

Kate smiled, "Yes Lacey?", she said softly from where she was sat at the breakfast bar sipping on her glass of fresh orange juice whilst Megan slid a baking tray into the oven with croissants on it.

The young girl sighed, "Can you help me with my hair?", she asked clearly frustrated with her own efforts with hair styling.

The blonde doctor smiled and nodded, "French plait again?", she asked as she put her hand out for the silver glittery hair brush and the blue elasticated hair bands that the young girl offered.

Lacey turned around to face the opposite direction before Doctor Kate Murphy moved her hands with precision to carefully braid the girl's dark hair and tie the bottom of it with one of the dark blue bands. Kate wrapped her arms around the young girl from behind and gently squeezed her whilst smiling brightly, the girl may not be hers by blood but she was still _her_ daughter.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate had stayed the night at Todd's apartment and he hadn't gotten out of bed yet. She however had woken when she heard Lacey getting ready to go to school for the day. The blonde wasn't impressed that the man remained asleep and chose to get up to make sure that Lacey went to school okay and that she had eaten something healthy for breakfast.**

 **Lacey smiled seeing the blonde woman, "Hi Kate", she said softly, "I'm sorry if I woke you".**

 **Kate shook her head and smiled, "It's fine Lacey, how about I do us both some breakfast?", she offered happily.**

 **The young girl smiled and shook her head, "It's okay, I'll grab a slice of toast and eat it on the way". Lacey seemed to always go to school a little earlier than she was actually needing to as she walked the whole way from her father's home.**

 **Doctor Murphy shook her head, "I'll make us both breakfast and then I'll drop you off at school on my way to work", she said softly, leaving no room for arguments.**

 **Lacey simply nodded, "Thank you Kate", she said softly as she returned to the mirror to attempt to fix her hair in the way she wanted it to be.**

 **Kate could hear the young girl getting increasingly frustrated with her hair as she cut up pieces of fruit and put them into individual bowls that were perched on the kitchen counter. "You know I could help you with that if you want me to Lace?", she asked softly as she finished up the fruit salad bowls with honey drizzled over the top in the way she knew the young girl liked and the same way she herself did.**

 **Lacey looked over at the breakfast bar where two glasses of fresh juice and two bowls of fruit salad now sat. She smiled at the motherly affection that the blonde was giving her and the healthy breakfast. It was by far the best breakfast she had ever had at her father's home. "Really?", she asked with an undertone of surprise within her voice.**

 **The blonde woman nodded with a bright smile as she picked up on the surprise, "Of course", she said softly, "Come and eat your breakfast and as soon as we're done then I'll help with your hair, how would you like it?". She sat on the stool at the breakfast bar and got herself comfortable as she picked up her fork, "I'm rather good at french braids", the woman said with a bright smile as Lacey joined her at the breakfast bar.**

 **The young girl ate her healthy breakfast that had been made by the blonde motherly figure dating her father and she then stood in front of the woman with her back to her whilst her hair was being braided.**

 **Kate dropped the young girl off at school on her way to work and the young girl had a huge smile on her face as she entered the school. A smile that was the direct result of Kate's actions that morning. She loved spending time with her mother's boss and loved the fact that the blonde had been around an increasing amount.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

The three of them were soon sat at the breakfast bar eating their freshly baked croissants whilst Lacey was telling both of her mothers about the latest drama from school and what they were doing in their lessons. She had the full attention of both women who were smiling softly towards the young girl.

HIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLER


	18. He's Dead

**September 10th 2015**

Megan was fast asleep with the blonde woman wrapped around her, listening to her heartbeat. The Medical Examiner mumbled in her sleep and held Kate closer to her.

Kate smiled softly in her state of slumber and shifted in her sleep as she lay almost on top of the other woman.

The sound of the phone ringing broke the two of them out of their deep sleep, Kate moved carefully off of the other woman so that Megan could pick her phone up from the bedside table, "This better be good Curtis", she stated in a sleep laced voice. Her hand came up to stifle a yawn as she knelt up on her elbow and held the phone between her shoulder and face.

" _I have bad news", Curtis said as he held the phone whilst standing in the Medical Examiner's office building, "Ian Faulkner escaped custody during transportation"._

"You have to be kidding me", she almost growled down the phone in frustration as she suddenly sat bolt upright which jolted her lover who had previously had her head on the leg of Doctor Hunt.

 _The man sighed and ran his hand over his own face, he too was very frustrated with what had happened, "I'm sorry Megan"._

"Sorry isn't good enough Curtis, how could this happen?", she demanded to know the answers to her questions, her voice laced with anger, frustration and worry.

 _Curtis bit his lip as he looked around the room before speaking, "He was in transit, they were moving him and someone run the van off the road", he said gently, trying to explain without angering the redhead more than she already was, "The agents were shot, there were no survivors"._

"How many?", she asked instinctively knowing that the bodies would go to their morgue but also being aware that her team would have to deal with the autopsies because she wasn't going to leave Kate's side, she had already decided in her mind that Lacey was not going to go to school that day. The young girl was due to get up in a few minutes so Megan looked towards Kate when she heard the young girl up, "Kate? Please can you go and tell Lacey there won't be any school today, she's staying home", she said before biting her lip, "I'll explain in a bit".

 _Her colleague sighed heavily, "Seven", he said into the receiver, "Megan?"._

"Yes Curtis?", she replied as she ran her hand through her hair.

" _Peter was in the first car…", he said with sadness in his voice, "... he died in the ambush"._

Her mouth slipped open slightly and she put her hand to her mouth but said nothing before hanging up the phone. She couldn't stay on the phone, she had to get off.

She sat up properly in the bed with her back against the headboard and her knees bent in a vertical positioning with her elbows on her knees. She ran a hand through her red hair and sighed heavily before brushing away a few salty tears, he had been a very good friend to her.

 ***FLASHBACK***

" **You should tell her Megan", the man said before throwing back another shot and smirking at the look on her face.**

 **Megan shook her head, "Nope", she said taking a shot and slamming the glass down onto the counter, "No point". Her eyes were filled with sadness as she spoke whilst looking at him, "Kate doesn't love me", she said softly.**

" **She does", he said contradicting her with a shake of his head.**

 **Doctor Hunt took two more shots in quick succession before speaking, "She is the most amazing woman in the world", the woman stated, "and she could have anyone in the world". The woman sighed, "However much I want to be at the top of her list and spend my life with the woman I love? I will always be a million light years away from the bottom of that list", she said heartbrokenly.**

 **Peter smiled, "You are such softie when you're drunk", he stated with a smirk before shaking his head, "She loves you Megan, take my word for it".**

 **Megan shook her head, "You're as stupid as I am", she said simply, "I fell for the straight woman and you? You think that she could actually love me.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

She thought back and remembered how right he had been, how true what he had said was.

Kate stepped into the room and climbed onto the bed being careful of her wounds (which were healing very well under the close observation of the Doctor). The blonde woman moved closer to her lover and gently put her hand up to cup her face, "What's wrong Megan?", she asked softly.

Megan bit her lip and looked at the blonde woman, "He's dead", the woman stated whilst looking into the woman's bright blue eyes, "Peter's dead". Doctor Hunt put her hand up to cover the one on her cheek, "Ian Faulkner was being transported and they were ambushed", she said softly before tugging the woman close to her, "Ian escaped and the agents were killed".

She sat in shock, "Escaped", she parroted in a soft and quiet whisper with fear in her voice.

Doctor Hunt held her close, "I'll protect you Kate, I promise you", she said softly, "I promise you".

Lacey came into the room in her silk blue pyjamas with pearl effect buttons and she looked a little shocked at her mother's tears and the look on her mama's face, "What's wrong?".

The blonde was too shocked to speak and the fear from the events that had happened to her had come bubbling to the surface in a rather dramatic fashion. She was frozen in fear and clinging to the redhead as though the world would end if she were to let go.

Megan looked up and put her hand out to invite her daughter onto the bed with them. She waited till she had sat down before she gradually broke the news to the child who instantly threw herself into her mother's arms when she heard the words that fell from the woman's lips.

 **A/N I am going to attempt to continue my (minimum) of 1 update a day but it may be a tad harder as time goes on because I am sorting out everything for returning to university soon. Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites.**

 **In reference to Todd and his status in this story, he WILL make an appearance but I might continue with just the flashbacks with him for now because I want to go slowly with him as he will be play a huge part in a rather big twist ;) All will be revealed…**


	19. Hide

**September 10th 2015**

Lacey was curled up in the middle of her mother's bed, buried in between both women with their arms around her. Megan had her arm over Lacey and her hand came to rest upon Kate's waist in a way that held her close whilst Kate mimicked that action with her hand on Megan's waist.

Doctor Hunt had double checked the locks on the doors and windows after discovering that the monster who kidnapped and tortured women but most importantly the woman she loved, had escaped from FBI custody that morning. She pushed a wooden unit in front of the door with the help of her daughter and had moved back to the bed. She wasn't scared but instead she was protective the ones she loved. She didn't have many friends but Peter had been one of them and now… he was gone.

A car had been put outside of her apartment building to keep an eye out for Ian Faulkner in case he returned to 'finish the job' but they could only contact the women by phone because Megan refused to allow them access to the apartment and even kept the curtains closed in the bedroom where the three of them were lying.

The young girl who was sandwiched between Megan and Kate had fallen back to sleep in the small space between them with the warm duvet over the top of her. Her face was mostly hidden beneath the covering and her ear was pressed against Kate's chest where she could hear the steady sound of the woman's heartbeat which was a very reassuring sound to the worried child.

She had looked up to Peter and he was more of a fatherly figure to her than her father was despite the fact that Peter never dated her mother and the relationship between him and the redhead was always platonic.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Lacey Fleming was in her school uniform and sat in her mother's office, waiting for her mother to finish the autopsy of Ms Grande. Her grandmother had picked her up from school and dropped her off at the Medical Examiner's office building almost half an hour beforehand.**

 **Peter had seen the young girl in the office and decided to take a break to sit with her for a while.**

 **She had pulled out her tablet so that they could continue the game of chess that they had been playing the previous day but hadn't managed to finish.**

 **The tablet now sat on the table and the two of them would move their pieces with a swipe of their finger. Lacey was white whilst Peter was black, like always.**

" **How was school?", the man asked her with genuine interest, some would ask but wouldn't really care about the answer but when he asked, Lacey knew that he was truly interested in what was going on at school.**

 **Lacey smiled as she moved her piece into a 'Check' position and forced him to move his own piece, "Good", she said softly, "We have a new teacher… her name is Mrs Rizzoli and she's from Italy".**

 **Peter nodded with interest as he moved his piece out of 'Check', "Do you like her?".**

 **The young girl nodded, "Quite a few of the others complain that she's too strict but I think she's really nice", she said softly.**

" **Sometimes teachers have to be strict otherwise the students would get away with doing all sorts of crazy things", he said with a slight smirk and shake of his head as he thought of the 'crazy things' that he and his friends would get up to at school.**

 **She nodded and smiled, "Next year we're getting a new headteacher too", she stated and bit her lip gently, "I overheard the headteacher talking to Mrs Rizzoli and it sounds like Mrs Rizzoli is next year's headteacher but to get to know the school, she is going to be a teacher there for a year first".**

 **Peter Dunlop nodded, "That sounds like a good idea", he said towards the young girl, "At least that way the teacher won't get thrown in at the deep end and she'll know how the school is run and what she wants to change".**

" **Maybe she can change the uniform", the young girl said with amusement in her voice and a bright smile on her face.**

 **He nodded, "She could do", he said simply before making suggestions for the uniform which turned out to be awful ideas according to the young teen in front of him.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan looked into the bright blue eyes of the woman beside her and craned her neck slightly before resettling closer to her. She pressed her lips against Kate's in a soft but loving kiss, "I love you Kate", she whispered quietly so that she wouldn't wake their daughter from her state of slumber.

The blonde woman beside her smiled before kissing her again, "I love you too Megan". Kate wanted to feel the other woman in a much more intimate level but with the young girl lying between them, she had to settle for soft kisses and mild soft touches.

Kate pressed her forehead against that of her lover's and smiled gently, closing her eyes. She felt safe with the woman beside her and their daughter between them. She knew that Megan would protect her no matter what and the protection detail outside was simply an added bonus.

HIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLERHIGHWAYKILLER

 **September 11th 2015**

It was the early hours of the morning and the majority of the city was still in darkness with street lamps still on and the air was cold. Not many people were up and even less were on the streets. The two men sat in the unmarked car near the apartment and continued to watch the building throughout their stakeout. Empty cups of coffee were scattered in the car and a flask of hot coffee was sat in the middle of the console but was almost empty. They were eager for the stakeout to be over and for someone else to cover them as they had been there all night in the rather uncomfortable seats without any sleep at all. The coffee had been the only thing to keep them awake. It was warm in the day but as soon as the sun dipped down behind buildings, it was rather cold and so the two men were huddled up in their coats with the heating on in the car.

Inside the apartment, Lacey was fast asleep and still remained between the two female lovers. Kate and Megan had their hands on each other's waists and their arms over the young girl as though their arms were seatbelts or a protective cage.

Megan awoke at the sound of a bang and frowned as she extracted herself from the three of them and sat up to listen again. Kate stirred and began to wake but suddenly sat bolt upright when another bang sounded along with a huge crashing sound. Lacey's eyes flew open, the young girl could sleep very heavily and usually slept through a lot.

"Hide", was the only word that the redheaded Medical Examiner spoke to either of them and there was no room for question in what she said. The look in her eyes said it all. She softly moved towards the bedroom door, trying not to make a sound.

Kate got off the bed to escort the young girl into the closet and got her to duck down in a corner behind some clothing, "Stay there", the blonde said in an almost inaudible whisper to which the young girl nodded to.

Lacey gripped the blonde's wrist, "Stay", she mumbled but the blonde shook her head, "I'm going to see your Mom but you have to promise me Lacey… stay where you are and don't come out until your Mom or I come and get you okay?", she handed the young girl, her own cell phone which was already on silent mode.

The Chief Medical Examiner gently closed the doors so that they wouldn't make any noise when they closed and then she moved the chair in front of the middle of the doors to prevent them being opened with too much ease.

Slowly she walked towards the bedroom door that Megan had closed on her way out and that was when she heard it. The sound of his voice. The sound of the voice belonging to the man who had tortured her. Fear filled her body and mind making her freeze on the spot.

"Why are you here Ian?", Megan asked as she stood in the living room, in view of the door with her hands up, "Do you really think you're going to get away with this?".


	20. Unconscious or Dead

"Where is she?", the furious man demanded, "Where is your precious _Kate_?".

Megan kept watching him, trying not to show fear, "She isn't here", she said, lying to him whilst thinking that the blonde woman had hidden with her daughter as she had instructed her to do. She concentrated on her body language and forced herself not to glance towards bedroom so that she wouldn't give away her lover's position.

He spat slightly as he spoke in a vicious manner with a gun in the grip of his right hand, "Come out Kate", he said in a raised tone of voice, "I know you're here". He was confident in his assumption when he spoke.

Outside, the two agents remained in the vehicle watching the apartment. The curtains in the sitting room were not closed and that gave a view into the apartment a little from where the men were but not enough to be able to see Megan other than the top of her head from their position.

"They're up early", one of the men commented as he looked over at the other, "Maybe we should go check on them?".

The other man shook his head, "Call first, you know what Doctor Hunt's like", he said softly with his eyes focused on the apartment, "She'll rip our heads off if we go up there".

They didn't realise that Ian was in the apartment, Megan shook her head, "She isn't here", she repeated which resulted in a blow to the head.

Ian was stood with his gun pointed at Megan's head, "Kate?", he called out, "If you don't get out here... then I'm going to blow your girlfriend's head off of her shoulders".

Kate didn't hesitate when she stepped out of the bedroom, her eyes glancing between the man and her lover, "Leave her alone", she said quietly without her usual air of confidence.

Ian Faulkner chuckled in a rather menacing manner, "There you are", he stated, "I know you'd come and join the party".

Megan's phone began to ring in the bedroom and Ian glanced towards the bedroom, "Ignore it", he stated in frustration, clearly the phone ringing had thrown his concentration off.

Kate watched him, he was becoming more agitated than he already had been when Kate's began to ring next, "If I don't get that…", Kate said softly, "... they are going to think something is wrong and then you'll have FBI agents in here". She glanced at Megan and then to the bedroom where the phone was ringing, "Is that what you want?", she asked.

The man shook his head, "Answer it", he shouted and waved his gun in the air erratically.

The FBI agent outside frowned as it went to answer machine, "Call again, maybe they were busy?", he offered, hoping that was the case.

Kate picked up the phone and held it to her ear after hitting the accept button. She was stood in the front room, "Good Morning Todd", she said softly.

 _The agent frowned, "Good Morning, it's Agent Jackson", he was confused but continued, "… is everything okay up there?", concern was laced heavily within his voice._

The blonde glanced between the two of them, "No, Lacey doesn't like the colour _Indigo_ ", the woman said softly, "Yes… her horse riding competition is at the _Alpha_ Riding school but that isn't until _November_ ". She had used law enforcement code for the letters 'I', 'A' and 'N' whilst hoping that it would be enough to signal to the men downstairs.

" _Ian's there", Agent Jackson stated to the other agent as he got out of the car, "Leave the phone connected but put it on the side with the screen down so that he doesn't see". The idea would mean that they would have 'ears' in the room._

The blonde Chief Medical Examiner spoke softly, "Well tell Lacey we love her and we look forward to seeing her soon", she then put the phone onto the coffee table nearby with the screen facing downwards, flickering her eyes towards the redhead with the gun still being waved around by the crazy man in their living room.

Ian glared at the woman before he roughly grabbed Kate by the material of her pyjamas and yanked her downwards so that her still sore body hit the ground with an audible thump. She let out a squeal of pain as her body hit the ground and her head hit the side of the sofa.

Megan gasped and went to run to her but the man lifted his weapon and pointed it towards her, "Touch her and I'll shoot you", he stated. Kate lay on the floor and stayed down rather than attempting to get up, she felt a little dazed after recently recovering from a concussion, a slight bump to the head made her dizzy.

The blonde woman watched her girlfriend as she raised her hands and took a step back, "Please", she said softly, "Let me go to her".

He laughed and shook his head, "No", he said as he knelt down beside Kate and grabbed her by her neck. His rough hands were harshly gripping the soft skin of her slender neck, "We never got to finish our little… game… did we?", he said spitting a little as he spoke with pure anger.

Doctor Hunt's eyes betrayed her and showed her true feelings as they began to fill with salty liquid, 'I love you', she mouthed silently to the other woman. She couldn't hear what the man was saying to Kate but took the moment of distraction to grab the closest thing that she could which was a white ornament of a woman and a child. She raised it above her head and brought it down suddenly and with as much force as she could gather in order to slam it into the back of his head.

The ornament connected to his skull and forced his body to collapse on top of the blonde woman who had been laying on the floor after being forced down. Blood was painted on the back of his head and on the bottom of the ornament where it had connected to his skull.

Megan moved forward and grabbed the material of the man's clothing to yank him from the other woman and throw him to the side. Instantly she wrapped her arms around Kate and pulled her close before lifting her carefully from the floor.

Two FBI agents burst into the room, their guns raised and bullet proof black vests on them. The holstered their guns upon seeing the blonde in Megan's arms and the unconscious or possibly dead man on the floor bleeding profusely from the head.


	21. Heart Shaped Pizza

**A/N Sorry for delay, I know I am still aiming for one a day but hopefully an (attempted) extra long chapter will make up for it? I have been busy sorting university stuff, baby cousin's birthday, babysitting and a load of other boring stuff. Also I hit a mind block…. apparently my brain could not form a coherent sentence in such a state of utter exhaustion.**

 **September 11th 2015**

Megan carefully carried Kate Murphy into the bedroom and lay her on the bed, leaving the agents to deal with Ian Faulkner. The Medical Examiner briefly left Kate's side to go to the closet and move the chair that had been blocking the view to the white, wooden doors. She pulled open the doors whilst reassuring her daughter that it was only her and as soon as the doors were open, the young girl had flung herself into her mother's arms and clung on tightly.

Lacey had been through a lot over the past few months, first she had witnessed her father acting rather aggressively and threatening towards Kate, then she had been forced to deal with him leaving the state and moving to the other side of the country. Lately she had to deal with Kate's abduction and torture, then this. The young girl was shaking slightly in her mother's arms as the woman lifted the young girl onto the bed and placed her between herself and Kate.

Doctor Hunt wrapped her arms tightly around the both of them, tugging Lacey to lay on her so that Kate was pressed firmly into her side and lovingly she placed a kiss to each of their heads. It had of course had an effect on her too but she was choosing to stay strong for her daughter and lover instead. It had been the second time that she had been faced with the possibility of losing the blonde woman beside her and that thought scared her. The concept of not being able to spend the rest of their lives together now that they had finally come to the point where they could love each other openly and admit their feelings was unbearable.

The Chief Medical Examiner turned her head in order to press a soft kiss to the other woman's cheek before Megan turned to look at her with a bright smile and Kate took the opportunity presented to her, to press her lips eagerly against Megan's.

Outside of their bedroom, in the living room was two agents and a dead body. Blood painted the thick white carpet which meant that it would be ruined and need replacing if the crime scene cleaners weren't able to get the large quantity of blood from the material. One agent was on the phone by the door whilst the other was beginning to clean up the damage that had been caused by the serial killer who had come to finish the job he had started on Kate Murphy.

It wasn't long before the body was taken away by the medical examiner on call and the apartment was being cleaned by professional crime scene cleaners who had the correct chemicals and equipment to get the blood out of the carpet where the man's skull had come into contact with a heavy ornament.

Usually there would be an element of sadness at any scene where there was a body but in this case there truly wasn't because it was extremely hard to feel sorry for a man who took such pleasure in torturing and murdering women before tossing them aside as if they were cheap garbage that needed to be disposed of. It was even harder to feel any sympathy for the man due to what he had done to the Chief Medical Examiner and her family.

Kate buried her face in the crook of her girlfriend's neck and in the Medical Examiner's mass of red curls as the banging began. It was the sound of the front door being replaced under the supervision of the FBI agents involved in the case. The two men who had been observing the apartment on stakeout had remained behind to ensure that the apartment was cleaned thoroughly for the woman and that it was secure with a new door and stronger locks. They knew that the danger had now been eliminated by a heavy ornament and a Medical Examiner with a rather good swing but they still felt the need to provide extra protection for the family.

Lacey had been emotionally exhausted and fallen asleep whilst listening to her mother's heartbeat so the woman slid her daughter from her body to put the young girl beside her, on the opposite side to Kate and then pulled the blankets up to almost completely shield her daughter from view. It was a very protective motion which made the young girl smile softly in her sleep and snuggle up closer to the woman's side.

Doctor Murphy had one arm over Megan's middle and her hand came to rest on Lacey's waist in a manner that held the young girl close to them. It was her way of reminding herself that the young girl was safe with them and that Ian Faulkner had not managed to physically harm the young girl in any way.

A light knock sounded on the door, making Kate sit bolt upright with wide blue eyes which were filled with fear until she heard the gentle voice on the other side of the wooden barrier, "It's Agent Jackson, please may I come in?", he asked politely.

Kate hesitated and nodded despite him being unable to see her, "Erm… yes", she said before clearing her voice, "You may". Her thigh was pressed to Megan's side and her hand was by the woman's head in the position she was currently sat in.

Agent Jackson entered slowly and carefully in a way that it was clear that he didn't wish to spook or scare the three occupants of the room. He couldn't see Lacey from his position in the doorway but he assumed that the young girl was asleep under the blankets were a lump was formed beside the redheaded Medical Examiner. "I just wanted to let you know that we've cleaned up the apartment and replaced the front door", the man said softly and handed the key to Kate, "We've put extra security looks on the door including a couple of deadbolts just to give you peace of mind".

"Thank you Agent Jackson", Megan said softly from her position, lying on the bed beside her daughter's sleeping form.

The blonde was clearly exhausted physically and emotionally but remained sitting up in a defensive stance, ready to protect her family at a moment's notice despite there being no true immediate threat and the worry being in her head at the time.

"We've also arranged therapists for when you're ready to talk, to help you come to terms with everything that has happened", the man said softly, slightly worried that the woman would shut him down but surprisingly both of the women currently residing in the large bed, simply nodded in confirmation, "One of the agents also went out and picked up some things for you so we've put those in the fridge and cupboards for you".

Kate smiled softly, "You didn't have to do that", she said gently although her facial expressions showed appreciation for the gesture, "But… thank you".

Agent Jackson nodded, "We didn't have to but we thought that you might need some groceries so we clubbed together and sorted it out for you Doctor Murphy".

Megan smiled towards the kind gentleman who stood in the doorway to their bedroom, "Thank you Agent Jackson".

"Please pass on our gratitude to the other agents", Kate said with a soft smile to which the man nodded in response to.

"We have to go so if you want to lock the door when we leave", he said softly, not sure on how the women would react to entering the living room so early after what had happened but wanting the door to be strongly locked from the inside when he left.

Kate Murphy nodded, "Yes… of… of course", she said softly, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness as she gradually stood from the bed.

The agent escorted the Medical Examiner from the bedroom and towards the newly replaced apartment door, once the men had exited the apartment the woman hastily locked the door whilst using the new additional high quality security bolts and locks before rushing back to the bedroom and sliding beneath the blankets to press up against the warmth of her girlfriend. Kate was trembling slightly as her anxiety level had shot through the roof at having to go through the room where her life had recently been threatened yet again.

Megan wrapped her arm tightly around the blonde and pulled her to lay partially on top of her body, the blonde woman's head was positioned perfectly above Doctor Hunt's heart in a position that would calm her as much as possible.

It had taken the crime scene clean up crew quite a while to fully get the blood stains out of the thick carpet and so the sky was beginning to get quite dark now. Lacey was already fast asleep and Kate was beginning to drift off after having taken comfort in the other woman's embrace and heartbeat. Megan however took a very long time to get to sleep as her body was on high alert and in a protective mode where she felt the need to watch over both of the warm bodies in her bed. Kate had only been able to fall asleep as she felt the protective arms of Megan around her and so knew she would be safe. Seeing the amount of strong and durable locks that were currently on the apartment door also helped her feel safe and secure enough to sleep.

 **September 12th 2015**

Lacey was stood in the kitchen, having woken up earlier than the other two and she had the silver fridge door wide open. Her eyes glanced around, looking at all of the food that was now in the fridge before choosing to pull out some fruit and yoghurt for breakfast. She poured some strawberry yoghurt into a bowl and sliced some fruit before throwing that in the bowl too.

The young girl moved towards the living room, she never knew that it was where the man had died or where blood had previously painted the soft material of the carpet because her 'Mama' had protected her by hiding her as quickly as she could in the closet that resided in Megan's bedroom or as it was now referred to as 'Megan _and_ Kate's' bedroom.

On the way into the living room, the young girl noted the new front door and the much larger quantity of locks that now had their place on the door on all four sides of the door. She smiled at that fact because she could see that nobody would be able to get through that door, especially as easily as Ian had managed to get through it the previous day.

The dark haired girl placed her bowl onto the coffee table, and grabbed the television remote in order to turn it on. She flicked on the menu before she scanned through to find something to watch, she curled up slightly on the sofa and tugged the blanket over her that had been resting on the back of the sofa before rearranging the cushions so that she was comfortable. She had chosen a movie that she had watched many times before and was a happy family movie in order to counteract the nerve wracking events she had recently faced.

She glanced towards the bedroom door and smiled softly knowing that both her Mama and Mom were safe inside. That knowledge helped her to relax in front of the tv set as she began to eat her breakfast. She did find herself wondering how so much food had suddenly appeared in the kitchen when it hadn't been there before. Then again she hadn't been into the kitchen much the day before because the FBI agents had brought lunch and dinner into the bedroom for the three of them. They hadn't finished all of their meals because they were too on edge to eat but it was a very nice and very much appreciated gesture by the men who were helping them and protecting them.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **A soft knock was heard on the door before Megan granted the person entry to the room.**

" **We thought you might want something to eat for dinner", the agent said softly as he cautiously moved forward as to not spook the three of them and gently placed two large 'Rizzoli's' pizza boxes on the bed.**

 **Lacey's eyes went wide, "Rizzoli's pizza?", she said with a smile, "You got us Rizzoli's?". She seemed amazed at the gesture.**

 **The agent smiled at her enthusiasm, despite everything the young girl had gone through, she seemed rather resilient and strong. He nodded, "When you have pizza", he said softly, "It just** _ **has**_ **to be Rizzoli's".**

 **This statement made the young girl smile brightly and nodded, "Definitely", she agreed making both women smile, "Have you tried their cannolis?", the young girl asked, "Angela is the head chef and her cannolis are** _ **amazing**_ " **.**

 **The unnamed agent nodded, "I sure have and if you check that third box I think you'll find something extra that you'll love", he said with a slight smirk.**

 **Lacey reached forward and opened it carefully, peeking inside before throwing it open to reveal three cannolis, "Wow, you are officially the best", she stated without taking her eyes off of the pastry treats.**

 **He chuckled, "Any chance you can tell everyone else that?", he joked, "Although I have to admit this wasn't me… Mrs Rizzoli heard that this pizza and cannoli was for you and she insisted it be on the house and that you all go in and see her when you get chance". "I better get back, enjoy your meal", he said before leaving the room and leaving the family to eat their dinner.**

" **Thank you", Kate said softly as he exited the room.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Once she had finished her breakfast, she stood up and took it into the kitchen. She smiled brightly when she saw both her Mama and Mom come out of the bedroom, "Good Morning Mama", she said softly, "Good Morning Mom". The young girl hugged them both in turn with a smile, glad that they were both okay and happy to feel the warmth of them in her arms along with their arms around her as it confirmed the fact that they were both safe.

"Have you seen the amount of locks that they've put on the door?", she asked with wide eyes as she indicated to the door that would give a secure prison door a run for its money.

Megan's eyes went wide upon seeing it, she had heard briefly what it was like from the agent and from her girlfriend but this was the first time she had actually laid eyes upon it, "Wow they sure went all out didn't they", she stated with a smile and a slight shake of her head.

Lacey nodded, "And you should see how much food is in the kitchen", she stated, "We could feed an army". The young girl was clearly amused by the quantity of groceries that had appeared and ran to open cupboards and the fridge to show both her Mama and Mom who were both amazed at the amount. They had known that the agents had purchased groceries for them but hadn't imagined it to be that much.

"Also", the young girl said with more excitement, "We have a gift card for Rizzoli's". She announced it as though she had won the lottery rather than pizza.

Kate laughed softly at the enthusiasm that the young girl was showing for her favourite Italian restaurant and take away place. "Well Angela does want us to go visit them so we'll take that with us when we go and make a night of it, how does that sound?", she asked her stepdaughter. To which the young girl nodded eagerly.

 **September 13th 2015**

Megan, Kate and Lacey were all dressed in smart casual wear as they stepped into the family run Italian establishment known as Rizzoli's. Within moments, Angela had rushed out and was embracing the youngest in an enthusiastic and loving manner. The Italian matriarch was always very affectionate towards the child.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Kate was sat at the table with Todd opposite her and Lacey beside her, they had been in an argument since the moment they sat down although their voices had not gone above a level that would disturb other people in the restaurant.**

 **Angela watched with curiosity and concern from the hatch that led to the kitchen. She decided that she couldn't sit back and do nothing when she realised that the young girl was beginning to get more and more agitated.**

 **The head chef stepped out of the kitchen and went towards the table where the arguing couple sat, watching the male with caution as he seemed to be attempting to dominate the blonde woman and intimidate her. Angela stopped at the table, "We are testing out a new idea to allow select children to have a tour backstage and let them make their own pizza and dessert", she said softly, "I was wondering if your daughter would like to be the first to try it… it would of course be free of charge".**

 **The blonde who the question had been directed to, glanced over to the man before looking back at the woman stood by their table, "That sounds lovely", she commented, knowing from the woman's facial expressions that it had been a lie, "What do you think Lacey?".**

 **Todd didn't look impressed that he seemed to have no say in this concept, and in turn no control over his daughter or girlfriend. This woman who seemed to be a chef had taken this control away from him in an instant.**

 **Lacey nodded, "That sounds amazing, I love your pizza", she said with a bright smile. It was the first smile that Angela had witnessed on the girl's face since they had sat down. She had seen the little girl smile as they entered but then the heated debate had begun.**

 **Angela put her hand out to the young girl and was soon escorting her out into the kitchen. "Are you okay?", the older woman asked her softly as she looked into her eyes with concern etched on her facial features and laced in her voice.**

 **The young girl nodded, she understood why the other woman had asked her to come and make pizza with her and she appreciated the gesture, "Yeah", she said simply with a smile.**

" **What's your name?", Angela asked with a slightly tilted head, "My name is Angela".**

 **The dark haired girl smiled at her, "Lacey", she replied simply, seemingly comfortable in the presence of the woman.**

 **The older woman nodded, "How about we make that pizza?", she said with a smile before grabbing a lump of pre-made dough and placing it on the metal counter in front of the child. She grabbed one herself too and began to show the young girl how to make it, step by step. She went through how to create a pizza shape but pointed out that she could make it any shape she wanted to. Lacey chose to make a heart shaped pizza.**

" **That is very pretty Lacey", Angela commented with a smile, "I created a Valentine's Day pizza this year and that was heart shaped with a choice of toppings on the top".**

 **Lacey smiled, "We had one of those", she pointed out happily, "Kate and I had a BBQ chicken one with extra cheese on Valentine's Day when my Mom had to work late".**

 **The older woman began to curl the edges of her pizza shape so that it would have a crust but she put cheese inside her crust, "Is that your Mom out there?", she asked softly as she watched the young girl.**

 **The Medical Examiner's daughter shook her head as she began to curl over her own pizza crust after putting BBQ sauce and cheese in her crust, just like the one that they had eaten on Valentine's Day, "No, that's Kate", she said with a smile, "She's dating my Dad". She frowned once she had said it and sighed before she turned and looked through the hatch.**

" **You don't like her dating your dad?", Angela said softly as she watched the young girl frown.**

 **Lacey smiled when Kate looked up and smiled at her, "Kate deserves better", she stated simply before she gave the blonde woman a small wave.**

" **How comes?", the woman asked curiously, "Is he always like this to her?". She was concerned for the child and for the woman in the other room.**

 **The young girl turned back to the pizza and began to spread BBQ sauce on the pizza, before nodding, "Lately he is".**

 **Angela found herself having to ask the question that she wasn't sure she wanted to, "He… doesn't hit her does he", she paused glancing through the hatch before back at the child, "Or you?".**

 **Lacey looked up and shook her head, "No, he's just rude to her a lot and moans at her for everything".**

 **The Italian woman chose to change the topic slightly, "Your pizza is coming along very well", she commented with a smile, "What else are you going to put on the top of it?".**

 **The young girl smiled at her before turning her attention back to the pizza in front of her, "Cheese and Chicken", she said softly, "Then it will be the same as the one we had on Valentine's Day because that one was Kate's favourite".**

 **Angela smiled, "That was a one off wasn't it with the BBQ sauce and cheese in the crust", she commented, "and you want to share it with her?".**

 **Lacey Fleming nodded, "It will make her smile", she pointed out happily, it was clear to Angela that this young girl loved Kate and thought very highly of her.**

 **The older woman smiled, "That's very nice of you", she said softly.**

 **The young girl shrugged, "She's always doing nice things for me so I should do some for her too", Angela rather liked how kind and polite the young girl was and it made her smile.**

 **The head chef smiled, "What kind of things does she do?", the woman asked as she finished off her pizza.**

 **Lacey smiled as the other woman put the pizza's on the tray and slid them into the pre-heated oven, "She comes to all of my horse riding competitions to watch with my Mom", she said softly, "and she watches me whenever my Mom gets stuck at work". The young girl's smile was growing as she spoke, "She lets me pick what we have for dinner and what movies we watch, she takes me out places like to the cinema and bowling", she said happily, "and she even has my favourite candy in her desk drawer at work….".**

 **Angela chuckled gently, "She sure does sound great doesn't she?", she commented.**

 **Lacey nodded, "The very best", she said simply.**

 **The Italian woman smiled, "How about you take this out with you?", she said handing the girl a basket of garlic bread, "and I'll bring out the pizza for you and Kate along with the pizza that your dad ordered for himself".**

 **The young girl nodded and suddenly embraced the older woman, "Thank you", she said softly.**

" **It's just pizza", the woman commented but she knew that to the young girl it wasn't just pizza.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Kate smiled brightly at the woman and briefly embraced her before Angela moved on to also hug Megan. "How are you?", the woman asked Kate with concern etched upon her features as she gently placed her hand on the blonde woman's shoulder.

The Chief Medical Examiner smiled, "Much better thank you", she said softly.

Angela smiled as she led the three of them to the 'best table in the house', and handed them the menus, "Would you like to come into the kitchen to make your own pizza?", the Italian woman asked with a smile, knowing that the young girl would say yes as she always did. Often Kate would also join them in the kitchen as the blonde would take the young girl there alone more often than with anyone else. Todd had only been with them twice and he had decided that he didn't like it because he considered Angela to be too nosey.

The young girl went out into the kitchen with Angela and was greeted by the restaurant staff who had come to love the young girl and rather enjoyed it when she was in the kitchen with them. Angela's curly haired daughter was sat down at one of the counters and grinned when she saw the dark haired child enter the room, she moved closer to the girl and embraced her, "Hey Lace", she said softly.

"Hi Jane", the young girl said softly, "Are you not working today?". She was still being embraced by the woman who rarely hugged anyone.

Gradually she let the girl go but nodded her head, "Yeah I am, I'm just on break", she said softly, "I needed a cannoli". She had her trademark grin on her face.

The Detective smiled, "How's Kate?", she asked softly with her hands on the girl's shoulders, and her head tilted slightly.

"She's doing good, she's dating my Mom now", she said with a huge smile as she was clearly pleased with the developments in the romantic relationship of the two women.

Jane grinned, "Woo Hoo finally", she commented happily, "They sure took their time didn't they?".

 **September 14th 2015**

Kate rolled over in their bed so that she lay above the woman she was sharing a bed with and placed a leg in between Megan's with one leg beside her. She lowered herself slightly before she kissed her to wake her up.

The blonde woman had her thigh pressed against the other woman's centre, and their tongues were duelling for dominance within seconds. Megan had come to rather enjoy waking up with the blonde in bed beside her but this wake up was even better.

Megan reached her hands down to cup the behind of the Chief Medical Examiner and tug her closer, whilst lifting her leg up to bend at the knee and press more against Kate. The added pressure caused a moan to escape from the blonde woman's soft lips.

The lack of clothing allowed for full skin on skin contact and the ability to feel exactly what effect they were having on each other.

Their breathing was becoming heavier and harsher as their grinding became more erratic and rushed. Their kisses became deeper and much more passionate as Megan's hand slipped down to glide into the depths of the beautiful blonde who was using her thigh to get closer to her climax, "Megannn", the blonde moaned out as she felt the medically trained fingers delve inside her without warning, her eyes closed briefly and she clenched around the fingers within her.

The blonde woman copied Doctor Hunt's actions and was soon sliding her own fingers into the other woman whose own natural lubricant made it easy to thrust inside with the same level of warning that she herself had given Kate.

It was nearly two hours later before they both lay out of breath on the soft egyptian cotton sheets of their bed with a sheen of sweat glistening on their skin, "Wow", Kate gasped making Megan smirk at what she'd said. The blonde woman saw the smirk and playfully hit the woman beside her on the arm whilst shaking her head lightly.

 **September 15th 2015**

Kate awoke early in the morning with a gasp as she sat upright, her breathing was heavier than normal and her eyes were glancing around in pure fear. It was yet another night terror. She had them most nights ever since she had been taken by the psychotic serial killer known as Ian Faulkner.

Sensing the movement beside her, Megan opened her eyes gradually as they adjusted to her the light that was just starting to filter through their curtains. Upon realising what had happened, she sat up and carefully wrapped her arms around the blonde woman, like she had many times before.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **The sound of a woman whimpering filled the bedroom and the bed moved unnaturally. Megan awoke a little dazed and confused in her sleepy state of mind before she realised that the woman beside her was squirming in her sleep and whimpering in pain.**

 **Doctor Hunt wrapped her arms around the blonde woman and began to gradually try and wake her carefully. At first the woman fought against the firm grip that Megan had on her but after a few minutes she calmed and began to wake.**

 **As soon as Kate saw the worried eyes of Doctor Megan Hunt, she began to cry and clung to her tightly.**

 **It took almost an hour to calm her that night enough for her to sleep, some nights it would take three or four hours and even then Megan wouldn't be able to sleep afterwards because she would be too worried about her lover and would end up watching her sleep for the remainder of the night.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Megan sat up against the headboard of the bed with pillows behind her back and Kate positioned between her legs. The Medical Examiner had her legs wrapped firmly around the blonde's waist as Kate leant back against Megan's chest. Doctor Hunt's arms were around Kate and the blankets had been pulled up to cover the blonde. Kate was effectively in a warm, secure and very human 'cage'.

Kate turned her head so that her ear was pressed to the woman's chest and she could hear the calming heartbeat of the live, beating heart in Megan's chest cavity. The knowledge that Megan was safe helped calm her and even more so was the fact that Megan was protecting her. Like she knew Megan always would. Like Megan had promised her.

 **A/N This story will soon be over… I think I may do ONE more as an 'in the future' chapter because I'm not sure about doing all the 'therapy' sessions etc… but I'm not sure ideas are welcome ;)**


	22. The Beginning

**A/N This is officially the last chapter of this story but I do intend to write more long stories - I am moving back to university this week though so until I get settled with my time table etc and get everything sorted then the only stories will be short. Any ideas are welcomed ;) I know I promised more twists but it just stopped 'writing itself' and I decided that those 'twists' would do better in their own long stories ;) Which means there is AT LEAST one other long 'Kegan' story that I 'NEED' to write !**

 **Huge thank you to 'reddie-forever24' for all of your reviews and encouragement.**

 **What does everyone think of me extending some of the flashbacks to be individual stories on their own ? Also one of my longer stories is hinted at in this story… bonus points for whoever works out what the plot MIGHT be…**

 **December 24th 2015**

Kate and Megan had been together for approximately four months and were curled up to each other on the leather sofa of their new home. Megan had decided after the last incident with Ian Faulkner that her and Lacey needed to move home as it felt as though the home was haunted by the memory of that dreaded morning where she could have lost both her lover and daughter to a psychotic serial killer. The redheaded Medical Examiner invited Doctor Kate Murphy to move with them because it felt natural to have the blonde woman living with them and giving that up wasn't something she was willing to do. She loved to wake every morning with the beautiful blonde beside her and falling asleep each and every night with the Chief Medical Examiner safely wrapped in her arms. Kate had of course accepted the idea and they had started to look at new homes within days of coming up with the idea. Within a week of the incident, both of their apartments were up for sale and they were looking for a new house together rather than an apartment.

They had taken Lacey with them to each of the house viewings as they considered her opinion on their new home to be very important to them both. The young girl was excited to be able to help with the choosing of what would become their new home and she was even more excited when it came to the concept of her choosing what her bedroom would look like after she decorated it.

In the end they had chosen a four bedroom detached house with a substantial back garden and decent sized front garden along with a built-in swimming pool surrounded by a patio and a small pond at the bottom of the garden which consisted mainly of a well kept grass lawn. It was far enough from the main city centre that it was a relaxed atmosphere but close enough that it wouldn't take too long to get to work or school in the mornings.

Lacey hadn't long gone to bed after they had spent the day watching Christmas movies in their new pyjamas and covered by soft, fluffy blankets on the sofa. She was enjoying being able to invite friends over to their new home and she was loving the fact that she got to live in a home with both her Mom and Mama. Originally she had struggled with the fact that her father was moving away to the other side of the country and leaving her but then she realised how horrible he had truly been to Kate. She overheard Kate on the phone although she wasn't entirely sure who she was on the phone to but she heard the mention of Todd hitting Kate. This concept shocked her until her mind reminded her of how much the man would raise his voice towards the blonde and blame her for anything and everything. It was then that it made sense. Not just his moving away but the increasing amount of times that Kate would take her out of her father's home and how quiet the blonde would be around the man towards the end. It was then that she no longer struggled with the idea of him leaving but found herself hoping he would never return. She didn't want him to upset Kate anymore and definitely didn't want him to harm the woman that she had come to love and see as a maternal figure in her life. Kate had of course never directly told the young girl what had happened and Lacey didn't feel comfortable asking for any details as she found herself blaming herself despite knowing that it wasn't her fault but feeling guilty simply by association with her father. Not that she called him her father often or even referred to him either unless someone else brought up the subject. When they did however she usually brushed the subject away by commenting that he was mean to Kate and so doesn't deserve to be spoken about. At first that had taken both women by shock.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Megan held the cell phone out in the direction of her daughter, "It's your father Lacey, he wants to speak to you", she said softly, "He wants you to visit him for a couple of weeks over the summer". Her red hair cascaded down the side of her face in slight curls and she wore an emerald dress with black heels and a black belt around the waist.**

 **Kate was stood a couple of metres away, her blonde hair falling neatly down her back whilst wearing a blue silk blouse and black trousers along with black heels. She was leaning back against the desk with her behind perched slightly on the edge of the wood. She had been talking to both Lacey and Megan in the other woman's office as Lacey had invited her to the cinema with them both that night along with dinner at Rizzoli's. Whenever they ate out, it was usually Rizzoli's and rarely anywhere else.**

 **Lacey looked at the cell phone that resided in her mother's soft moisturised hand before looking over at Kate who was attempting not to look nervous at the idea and the young girl shook her head, "I don't want to talk to him", she stated, "and I definitely don't want to spend any time with him".**

 **The Medical Examiner looked shocked, "Why Lace?", she asked curiously with the phone still held out in her hand with the man waiting on the other end.**

 **The young girl looked at Kate before returning her eyes to look at her mother, "He was horrid to Kate", she stated simply, "Why would I want to talk to him?".**

 **The question she posed threw the woman and she wasn't sure how to answer but instead she nodded and put the phone back to her ear as she left the room briefly to speak with Todd.**

" **You should talk to him Lace", the blonde woman attempted whilst trying to keep her voice stable as she spoke, "What happened between your father and I was just between us and it shouldn't influence your relationship with you and your father".**

 **Lacey stepped closer to Kate and embraced her tightly, "I heard him shouting at you", she said softly, "I saw him trap you against the counter and I heard him always arguing with you".**

 **The blonde had tried to hide it all from her but it was hard when Todd made it impossible, and she wrapped her arms tightly around the young girl, "He's still your father Lacey", she said softly although privately thinking that the man didn't deserve such a loving and caring young daughter.**

 **The dark haired, Medical Examiner's daughter stepped back slightly so that she could look at the Chief Medical Examiner's bright blue eyes without stepping out of the loving and warm embrace, "He stopped being my father when he hit you".**

 **Kate Murphy pulled the young girl in tighter not realising that Megan was now stood behind them and had heard every single word that the young girl had said. The blonde woman wasn't sure what to say and knew it would be pointless to continue in her attempts to get the young girl to speak with her father. Instead she opted to simply holding the girl as tightly as she could and she took comfort in the young girl's presence in her arms.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

The movie was flickering in the background, the sound more of a background noise because neither women were taking much notice of the movie that they had in fact watched a number of times before. Instead their attention was on each other, their lips were sealed to each others and their tongues duelling. Hands were skimming over each other's bodies and pulling each other as close as physically possible. When air became necessary, more necessary than their need for each other's lips, their foreheads pressed against each other and their lips curled into bright smiles.

"I love you", Kate whispered softly to the redheaded woman who had tugged her to lay on top of her and whose hands were wrapped tightly around her waist preventing her from moving. Megan had a habit of maneuvering them into the position they were currently in and Kate rather enjoyed the position.

Megan smiled brightly and pressed a brief and loving kiss to the other woman's soft lips, "I love you too Kate", she said lovingly as she moved one hand to cup the blonde's cheek.

 **December 25th 2015**

Kate and Megan lay in bed, their bodies entwined and skin on skin contact. The blonde woman had her head resting on Megan's chest and their arms were wrapped around each other tightly. They looked peaceful together as they lay in the light filtering through on their first Christmas morning together. The first of many to come. They had spent the previous Christmas together but without being a couple as Megan had discovered that Kate would be alone at Christmas with her family not in the country for Christmas for various reasons. They had woken in a similar position that day too but had not referred to the position at all, instead choosing to ignore it. Christmas 2014 however consisted of clothing which was much the opposite of Christmas 2015.

Lacey came running into the room and launched herself onto the bed where both of her parents were now pretending to sleep. Despite being in her early teens, she still held the childish excitement of Christmas that she had had for years.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Megan sat in front of the decorated natural Christmas tree with an infant Lacey swaddled in a soft blankets and held in her arms. The little one's lips were latched to her breast as she suckled her 'breakfast'. The Doctor held her close and whispered softly to her as she stroked the girl's head. It was Lacey's first Christmas and the woman had gone a little 'overboard' according to the baby's grandmother as the Christmas tree was filled underneath with presents for the baby. It was clear how much the woman loved her baby girl as she bent over slightly to press a kiss to the infant's head.**

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

"Go into the living room Lacey and we'll be out in a minute", Megan said softly to their only daughter before the young girl rushed into the other room.

Kate smiled at the young girl's enthusiasm and kissed her lover softly, "Merry Christmas", she said gently as she shifted slightly to lay on top of the Medical Examiner, one leg was between the other woman's legs.

Megan moaned softly, "Mmm…. Merry Christmas Kate", she said with a smile as she gripped the behind of the woman on top of her, "If we don't get up and get dressed right now then we won't make it out of bed". She had a slight smirk on her face as she said it and pressed herself up towards the blonde to highlight her point.

"We are definitely finishing this later", she said as she kissed Megan Hunt deeply before extracting herself from the bed quickly to put clothes on. She turned and smiled, "Are you getting up or are you just going to watch me?", she asked the woman who was still laying in the bed whilst the Chief Medical Examiner continued to get dressed in pyjamas.

"Watch", the woman stated with nothing covering the top half of her body and propped up on her elbow as her eyes watched the blue eyed beauty dress.

Doctor Murphy shook her head and sat down on the edge of the bed once she was clothed and then straddled the woman to kiss her deeply again, "Get dressed", she instructed gently as she ran a hand up to cup Megan's breast, "Or there will definitely be no way we last long enough to go out into the living room to meet our daughter and considering her excitement there is no guarantee that she won't come looking for us".

Megan moaned slightly and arched into the touch before nodding, "Next Christmas….", she said softly, "...I'm setting the alarm".

"So we can make love before our darling daughter awakes and jumps on our bed?", she said in a part question and part statement manner.

Doctor Hunt nodded, "Hell yes", she replied simply as the blonde climbed from the bed to go into the other room, leaving the naked beauty in their bed with no option other than to get dressed and meet them in the other room.

It wasn't long before all three of them were seated on the carpeted floor of the living room, near the lit Christmas tree as Lacey opened her presents. She had a huge smile on her face as she opened the various gifts. Kate opened a few gifts as did Megan.

"Pancakes?", Lacey offered with a bright smile as stood up with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

Kate looked a little confused at the mischievous look that their daughter had on her face but brushed it away and nodded, "That sounds delicious", she commented.

Megan nodded in agreement with a grin on her face, "A wonderful idea", she stated before the young girl disappeared.

However there was no sounds from the kitchen that would suggest that anything was being made let alone pancakes which Lacey would always bang about when she made. A few seconds later Lacey returned with her hands behind her back and discreetly gave Megan something of which Kate couldn't quite see what it was.

Lacey sat with the camera in front of her and had secretly hit record so that it would film the whole thing.

Megan moved to her knees in front of the blonde who sat cross legged on the carpet, "Kate Murphy", she said softly with a huge smile, "You are the most amazing woman in the world and the only one I can imagine spending the rest of my life with". Kate's eyes were glistening with unshed happy tears as the other woman spoke, "I have loved you since the day I met you and it has taken us far too long to get to this point", she said softly, "I love you with all of my heart and soul". Lacey was grinning like the Cheshire Cat whilst listening to her mother's words, "Would you do the honour of…".

She didn't have a chance to finish as Kate exclaimed, "Yes!", making both Lacey and Megan laugh.

The redheaded Doctor shook her head, "You're supposed to let me finish", she said softly to the blonde who had tears on her cheeks, thankfully happy tears rather than the sad tears that had been there so often each time that she suffered from a night terror brought on by the horrific events of September.

"Sorry", the blonde mumbled as she bit her lip.

"Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?", Doctor Hunt eventually finished with a bright smile and leant forward slightly before whispering, "Now you can say yes".

The blonde woman didn't hesitate in saying yes to the woman's question and threw herself into her arms happily before kissing her deeply and passionately. The ring was slipped onto her finger, two platinum bands laced together with diamonds embedded into the bands and a sapphire in the centre of the ring. The main precious stone had been chosen because of Kate's bright blue eyes, Megan loved to look into the depths of the blue eyes and they never failed to make her smile. Inside was an inscription in German that read 'I love you forever and always'.

The rest of Christmas Day went wonderfully for the newly engaged couple and Kate enjoyed showing people the ring that her lover had purchased for her as it let everyone know that Megan chose her. Out of everyone in the world. The Doctor had chosen her and that made her feel like the most precious person in the world. She felt loved, safe and happier than she could have ever imagined herself to ever be. Their family were there for dinner and they spent the day together. The day ended with Lacey spending the night at her grandmothers to get the couple a night alone.

 **December 31st 2015**

The new years party had gone without a hitch, the entire Medical Examiner's building was a buzz of activity with a large amount of food and drink scattered everywhere.

Kate wrapped her arms around Megan and smiled brightly as it struck midnight. Their lips hit each others in a passionate kiss to start off the new year and their tongues duelled as the deep kiss lengthened. Fireworks were shooting off behind them as they stood on the rooftop together with a few of their colleagues.

Lacey snapped a photo on her cell phone and smiled at the result which was the two women passionately kissing and she had captured some of the fireworks at the correct time as they exploded in the background.

The young girl loved to spend time with her family and her parent's colleagues. Her grandmother was at the party as well and was sat at the table on the rooftop with a glass of white wine in her right hand beside her granddaughter.

It was the perfect start to the new year as they began their journey together as a family. They would begin the preparations for their wedding with Lacey as their maid of honour and their was a reason they had a four bedroom house rather than a two bedroom house.

This is not the end of their story but only the beginning. The beginning of the best story ever.


End file.
